Until We Meet Again
by PrincezGeekChic
Summary: What value does something like love have to a person? Will a strange new face be able to show it to an introverted Stanford Pines?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** **Hi there, everybody! Here I have my first Gravity Falls fanfiction EVER! I wrote this first chapter last night. I think my taste in things really is maturing over time. Because when I was about 19, I didn't even give the show a second look. And now I'm 21 and I'm like this is some good stuff! My three favorite shows are now Legend of Korra, Gravity Falls, and Steven Universe, and maybe also and other cartoon on cartoon network and nick that is good :)**

 **I'm really not too sure on the rating yet. I love the show so much so I don't want to defile it in any way but...we'll see O_O**

 **I know the show ended but I'll see if any of you are interested reading another gravity falls fanfic.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

 _A small four five year old girl played in the park, picking flowers and trying her best to make them into something like a crown or some other piece of jewelry like she had seen on TV. Every time she tried they would either get tied into a knot or the delicate stems would break between her small and impatient fingers. She whined every time she failed but just kept trying to do it again anyway. The young girl looked up, her attention caught by the sound of her bossy older sister calling her. She chewed on one of her messy brown pigtails, deciding to ignore her. Earlier today her sister had kept asking to take her to the park but she already knew that it was because she wanted to meet up with that dumb guy she liked making kissy faces at. Her mama had decided to get married to another man after her father left, and that's how she got stuck with such a meanie for sister. Her step-sister was mean and her father had left her, while her mother seemed to completely forget she existed. There was no one at home for her to play with._

 _She pouted defiantly, hearing her dummy of a step-sister calling her name. She grabbed a handful of flowers and walking further into the park, to the trees. Just let her play with that stupid guy and go have her own fun. It's not like she cared anyway. The girl stopped in a field underneath a tree and planted the flowers at her feet. She whined again, not able to make a flower tiara. If she were able to make something pretty for her mama then maybe she'd be nicer to her. Maybe she wouldn't even hit her as much or at least not so hard. She sniffed, feeling tears welling in her eyes. The girl took a few deep breaths. She wasn't going to cry. She was tough. Crying was for little babies and she was a big girl. She wrapped the stems of the flowers into a large ring again. This time she almost had it. She stuck her tongue out of her mouth, concentrating. Just a little but more…_

 _She frowned, seeing that the stem had snapped in half. She let out a frustrated yell. A moment later, she took a handful of flowers and threw them above her head in frustration. The wind blew them straight into her face as if taunting her. She crossed her hands in front of her chest and made a face. After a while she wrapped her hands around her knees and put her face down in defeat. She just wanted to give her mama something nice to make her happy. She really couldn't do anything right. She sniffed again, this time letting a few tears fall down her cheeks. The girl only peeped up when she heard the sound of crunching leaves a few feet ahead of her. It was a man in a suit, looking like he worked at some fancy kind of place. He was clean cut and put together. She bet her mama would like a man like this. But she herself wasn't at all interested. She wiped her eyes and sniffed. The man looked like he was coming closer._

" _Hey there, little girl. What are you doing here all by yourself?", the man asked with a smile._

 _She fidgeted on the ground where she was._

" _Nothing. I...was just picking some flowers to give to my mama", she said, wiping her eyes one last time._

 _The man kneeled down to her level._

" _Well, what a sweet little girl you are. Trying to give your mom something nice.", he said._

 _He leaned in a bit closer._

" _Hey I have an idea. These flowers here…they're so small and tiny. But I know a place where there are lots of big, colorful ones. Like sunflowers and big, soft violets", he said, making a gesture with his hands as to how big they were._

" _Really?", she asked. Maybe she should give her mama those ones instead._

 _The man smiled._

" _Yep. How about you let me take you there?", he asked._

 _The girl twiddled her thumbs. Her sister would be so mad at her if she left without saying anything. And she might get punished when she got home. But…she'd could give her mama some pretty flowers if she went. She probably wouldn't be too mad if she gave her something, right? She'd be sure to make her something nice._

" _O-ok", the girl said, not really thinking about the consequences of her actions._

" _Good. I'll take you there right away", the man said, holding out his hand to her. She was hesitant but before she could say anything he grabbed her hand. She shivered a bit on the inside. His hand was so cold even though it was spring time._

" _Um…my sister...she'll be mad if I don't tell her I'm going", the little girl said worriedly._

" _Oh…don't worry. We won't be gone for long", he said, quickening their pace. She walked faster to keep up. Every so often he would turn his head in either directions, as if to see if there was someone following them. In the distance, she saw a shiny, blue car on an unmarked gravel road. They headed in that direction._

" _Are we driving to the flowers?", she asked._

" _Yes. To get there faster", the man said._

" _But aren't they here in the park?", the girl asked._

" _They're just a tiny bit further than the park, sweetie", he said._

 _The young girl stopped walking._

" _I don't wanna leave the park though. Aren't there lots of pretty flowers here?", she asked._

 _She cried out, feeling the man roughly yank her arm and forcefully pull her towards the car._

" _No. I'll take you somewhere better", he said, pulling her along._

" _Ow! It hurts!", the girl cried out, trying to pull back._

 _She furiously scratched at the man's hand with her free one._

" _Lemme go!", she yelled, kicking at his ankles._

 _The man's eyes turned dark and his face cold._

" _Shut up, brat!", he said. A hard hand slapped her across the face. Tears welled in her eyes as she began sobbing uncontrollably. She let her full weight fall to the ground and screamed._

" _I said shut up!", he yelled, punching her in the back. She saw stars and felt pain shoot up throughout her body._

" _Get up!", the man said._

 _She cried harder._

" _No! I don't want to!", she said._

 _He roughly grabbed a fistful of her hair, making her scream._

" _Didn't I tell you to shut up?", he said._

 _He pulled out something sharp that looked like some kind of blade and pointed it into her throat._

" _If you make another sound I'll kill you", he said._

 _The girl whimpered in fear. This man was so scary. They were almost at the car now. Where was he going to take her? She cried again, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. He grabbed her arm and led her closer to the car. She pulled away one last time, and screamed…Loudly._

" _No! Stop it!", she said and screamed again._

" _Didn't I just tell you-"_

" _I don't know you! Let go! Help!", she cried out._

 _The man put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the blade._

" _If you don't want to be quiet then I'll just have to cut your mouth off", he said, bringing it to her face._

 _She screamed and tried to wiggle free but the man help on to tight. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain to come. It didn't. In what seemed to be a blurry shadow a figure came out of the bushes and tackled the man to the ground. They both wrestled with one another, the blade being tossed aside. The girl screamed for help, calling out to her sister, for once actually wanting her to come to her. The bad man had the other one on the ground, fiercely punching his face with a hard fist. The other man's face was bloodied and dirty, his glassed broken. He looked like he passed out. He wasn't moving anymore._

" _Should have minded your own business, freak", the man said and punched him again._

 _The girl knew that the best thing to do in such a situation was to run but instead she found herself screaming and running towards the men. She hopped on the bad man's back and dug her fingers into his eyes while at the same time digging her sharp teeth into his neck. She tasted his blood in her mouth. The man yelled in pain, trying to shake her off but he couldn't reach her. She bit harder. The man somehow managed to grab her by her hair again. She yelped in surprise. Just as she did, she felt the man's body slump to the ground, unmoving. She smacked him a few times to see if he was really unconscious. He didn't move. She hit him harder, leaving scratch marks on his face, getting her revenge._

 _The older man on the ground stirred, touching his face in pain. He slowly sat up, wincing as he did so. His eyes were swollen and his face looked like he'd been in the ring with the heavy weight champion (May he rest in peace). Blood dripped from his mouth and nose and his cheeks were bruise black. He grunted in pain moving. He looked up at her._

" _Are you ok, little girl?", he asked, holding his ribs. The girl didn't want to but she began crying anyway, relieved that she had been saved._

" _I know...you were scared, right? But don't worry. You'll be alright now", he said. He gently rubbed her head with a large hand._

 _Just then her sister and her stupid guy showed up. She was out of breath but also looked irritated._

" _Alright you. What did you-", she stopped in midsentence, seeing her crying and bloody while the man was touching her._

" _What the hell are you doing?", her sister yelled._

 _She yanked her away from the bloody man._

" _Were you trying to kidnap her?", her step-sister asked._

 _The man put his hands up._

" _No…I-"_

" _You were weren't, you? What kind of sick perv are you?", she yelled._

" _I'm calling the police", she said._

 _The big doofus walked to their side, the one she was always kissing._

" _Hey…", he said, pointing at the man accusingly._

" _I know you…you're that weird guy who lives in the old part of town. The freak with the six fingers", he said._

" _Everyone says he's a freak but I didn't think he was sick", the idiot said._

" _I wasn't-", he started._

" _Of course you were!", her step-sister said._

 _Her step sister's dumb guy walked closer to the other one, ready to get rough. The little girl pushed her sister away and ran over to the bloody guy, stretching her hands out in front of him protectively._

" _It wasn't him! He didn't do anything! He saved me!", he girl said._

" _Then who-", the big dummy started._

" _It was him!", she said, pointing to the unconscious man on the ground._

" _He was the bad man who tried to take me away! He was going to take away in his car!", she said._

" _Her sister looked over their shoulder, seeing the other unconscious man in the suit._

" _Are…you sure?", she asked._

" _Yes!", the little girl answered, determined._

 _Her boyfriend pulled out a phone and dialed 9-1-1._

 _Her sister looked at the bloody guy almost in disgust._

" _Thanks", she said, not seeming to mean it at all._

 _The police came a short while later, and took the bad man away. He didn't wake up. The good guy said something to the police about using something called tankalizer on him to make him sleep. Paramedics came and cleaned her wounds, bandaging them. She didn't know what the point of that was. Her step-sister was already looking at her in a way that said she was going to tell her mom everything. The little girl already knew that when she got home she'd just get more bruises anyway. Most of the police and paramedics left a short while after. Everything seemed to be taken care of. Her step-sister and the dumb guy were in the distance still talking to one of the police men. She saw the man who had saved her sitting on the last of the ambulances that had yet to leave. She curiously walked over to him. The little girl stopped just behind the tree closest to him. She peered from behind it and their eyes met for a split second before she shyly hid behind the bark again. The girl nervously tugged on her pig tails before finding her own courage to walk over to him. She stopped a few feet away, kicking the grass before she walked closer. She looked at him with wide green eyes._

" _Um…does that hurt?", she asked._

 _She heard the man laugh dryly. She could see the man had messy brown hair and greyish blue eyes. His face was bruised but he looked a lot better than he had an hour ago. In his lap was a broken pair of old looking glasses._

" _A little", he said._

" _Sorry", she said in a quiet voice._

" _No need to be. It's good that you're safe", the man said._

" _Thank you for not letting that bad man get me", the girl said._

" _I don't see how he could have. You really let him have it. You're a very brave little girl.", the man said._

 _Her eyes lit up, happily._

 _She looked at the bandaged hand he was holding._

" _Will that be ok?", she asked, unconsciously reaching out to touch it._

 _He quickly recoiled his hand and tucked it behind his back._

" _No. It's fine", he said._

" _Sorry", she said again, feeling that she had done something wrong._

" _Don't worry", he answered._

" _Is it true you really have six fingers?", she asked suddenly._

 _The man looked up._

" _Unfortunately. Yes", he said._

 _She slowly reached out her hands and grasped the man's arm, tugging at it._

" _I wanna see", she said, tugging again._

" _Hey. Don't-", the guy said but she had already managed to get his arm from behind him. He gave up and allowed it. She held the hand between her own. Six fingers on a rough and calloused hand is what she saw. Compared to her own, his hands were huge. She wondered how such rough hands were able to be so gentle to her. It was the first time she experienced that._

" _Wow. How neat", she said, running her hand on his own._

" _Th-thank you", he said. Was he embarrassed?_

" _You must be special", she said, brightly._

" _What?", he said, in surprise._

" _You have something that a lot of people don't, so you're special", she said, simply._

 _The man smiled._

" _I'll remember that", he said._

 _She could hear the annoying voice of her step-sister calling out to her, saying it was time to go. She found herself not wanting to leave yet for some reason._

" _I guess it's time for you to go home", he said._

" _Take care of yourself", the man said._

 _A paramedic came out of the van he was sitting on.._

" _Sir, will you be needing a ride to the hospital?", the paramedic asked._

" _No. I should be fine by myself", he said, hopping up. The ambulance was up the road a few minutes later. Her sister was in the car waiting for her still. She was already honking the horn. The little girl saw a pile of the tiny flowers at her feet, scattered around by the wind. She sadly picked them up. She still wasn't able to do it. She was caught off guard when a large, six fingered hand took them out of her own . A moment later, a bracelet of tiny purple and blue flowers was draped around her small wrist. It was so pretty. She looked at it in awe._

" _A thank you. You did save me too, after all", the man said, and turned to leave. Her sister was already yelling at her. She ignored her and called out to the man._

" _Hey! Mister, Wait!", she said, making the man stop for a moment._

" _What's your name?", she asked._

 _The man shrugged his shoulders, as if it didn't really matter._

" _My name's Ford", he said. A moment later he'd vanished into the forest._

 _In the car, her step-sister was already telling her how she would tell mama about everything, and she knew she'd be punished for it. But she couldn't bring herself to care about it much. Ford…his name was Ford, huh? Pretty short. She wondered what he did in his spare time or if he really was a strange person like people said about him. Maybe she'd find out soon._

* * *

The woman opened her eyes in the dim light of the train. She smiled. Even though it had some scary parts it was still her most cherished childhood memory. She turned her head to look out the window. In the night scenery quickly passed as she moved. It had been six hours since it had departed from the station. To her left was her large suite case filled with her things. In her lap was a notebook. She flipped open the pages, skimming her eyes over all the places and cities she'd been in and crossed off. New York. Virginia. Utah. Idaho. And few more still. After all this time she was still unable to find him. Was he even still alive? Her heart ached for a moment. Dammit. She'd find him one way or the other. The last solid place she was able to connect him to was New Jersey, where he grew up. She laughed a bit. So he was Italian. How nice. She'd only found that out a few months ago. The woman stretched. She wondered if she'd be able to ever see him again. Thirty years had already passed since then. She was a grown woman now. Why did she feel the need to go look for a stranger? That's what she'd been telling herself ever since she was eight years old, when the man suddenly disappeared. But no matter how hard she tried to tell herself he didn't matter, her body was always itching to find him.

After graduating college she had a successful business career for over ten years before she got the same itch. She'd been holding back for so long but she always planned on looking for him again. Why was he so important? Why did he matter to her so much? She still couldn't answer any of these questions. The woman tied her long dark hair into a ponytail and leaned back into her seat, trying to get comfortable. She was headed for a place called Gravity Falls, Oregon. Must be named after a big waterfall or something. She was already thinking that they place was so obscure that it was a dead end for sure. Probably nothing there but trees, logs, bugs, and more trees. Oh well…she was going anyway. If she wasn't able to find him, she hoped she'd find something at least, another clue. What was she going to find in a place like that? She tugged on a loose section of hair and nibbled on it, an old habit of hers since she was a child. Maybe what she really needed was a distraction or closure…but having him would be so much better. Ford….what happened to you…

She closed her green eyes and fell back to sleep in a matter of minutes.

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 **A/N: Tell me what you think! ^0^**


	2. Chapter 2

Strong rays of sunlight streamed into the bus through the windows. The bus moaned and creaked as it made its way along the crooked dirt road. The bus suddenly bumped, as it had been doing occasionally for the last twenty minutes.

"Ouch!" A smallish boy let out. He reached behind him and rubbed one hand on his lower back and then his butt. This rocky road was really starting to get old. It had been over nine hours since they'd gotten on the bus for Gravity Falls. He was already fourteen and the last thing he wanted to do was sound like a baby, but every ten minutes he find himself asking if they were there yet. The bus hit yet another bump and Dipper once again found himself launched in the air, this time making his woolen hat fall off his head. He let out an irritated groan.

"Jeez", Dipper said, as he picked up the hat. It was given to him by someone he really looked up to. No way he wanted it left on the ground like it was garbage.

"Why do glum, chum?", his twin sister Mabel asked him, as she herself jumped up and down a few times simply for the heck of it.

"Oh nothing much. Aside from the fact that I can't seem to keep my hat on my head and that I may be slowly becoming crippled on this bus ride", Dipper said, as he sat back down next to Mabel.

"Aw, don't be such a sour puss", Mabel said, happily settling back down in her seat again. An agreeing oink came from the pig next to her.

"See? Waddles agrees with me. A smart pig this little cutie is", she said, rubbing his head.

"I'll feel better when we finally get there.", Dipper said, stretching and feeling his back crick a bit.

"Seriously, my back is killing me", he said.

"You sound like an old man already, Dip", Mabel said, giggling.

"And speaking of old men, in another hour or two we'll be seeing our two favorite old geezers", she said.

This made Dipper smile a bit more. It had been a year since they'd been to the small town. Dipper couldn't wait to see the Grunkle Stan and Uncle Ford no more than Mabel could. Plus to add icing on the cake, they'd get to see all of their old friends. Soos, Candy, Grenda, Wendy…man Wendy…and heck even Pacifica. Soon they'd all be together again, only this time, they wouldn't have to worry about a demon from other dimension trying to taking over reality. This summer would be just a normal and fun time to spend with people who were special to them.

"I just can't wait to see everyone again", Dipper said.

"You mean _Wendy_?", Mabel said, making a kissy face.

Dipper rolled his eyes and playfully punched her arm.

I mean _everyone_. Not to mention, we can have Uncle Ford and Grunkle Stan tell us about the adventures they had traveling the world looking for paranormal activity. It's going to be _awesome_. No telling what kind of cool stuff they saw", he nearly squealed, slightly biting his fingers.

"You would be the most excited about that". Mabel said.

"Oh and I suppose you want to…what was it…find some neighborhood hotties", Dipper said, crossing his arms and grinning.

"Weeeeelll I'm not saying that I'm actively looking or anything…buuuuuuut….if I do just happen to come across some…there won't be any complaints from this chick.", she said with a wink.

"Just give me fair warning before", Dipper said.

Mabel pushed her face against the glass and smiled widely.

"Dip! Look, we can see the water tower! We're really almost there!", she said, happily.

"Finally", Dipper sighed, leaning back into his seat. As soon as he began to relax, the bus hit another bump, sending him into the air again. His hat was on the floor again. He sighed, going to leaning over to pick it up when the bus bumped again, this time making him fall face first on the floor. How come stuff like this never happened to Mabel? He groaned loudly.

"Are we there yet?", he asked, his head still to the floor.

Mabel laughed.

"Almost, Dip Stick. All most"

* * *

The bus drove for another hour before coming to another stop. Looking out the window, Dipper could already tell that they weren't at the usual stop. They were so close to arriving to the town and the young adolescent found himself getting a bit giddy. He and Mabel heard the bus doors open, but didn't see anyone get on. A moment or two later, the bus driver got of the vehicle and went outside. What was going on exactly? Next to him, Mabel had continued her jumping out of boredom.

"Soooo…are we walking from here?", she asked.

"Nah…our stop is the last one, remember?"

"Well…why'd we stop then?", his sister asked.

Dipper shrugged. In normal cases, this wouldn't seem out of the ordinary but for a place like this it was. In all the times they'd and even their parents came to Gravity Falls, there was no one who got on the bus so close to town, especially during summer vacation. Ten minutes passed before the bus driver walked back onto the bus, toting a large briefcase behind him towards the back of the bus. Outside, they could hear the irritated voice of a woman talking to someone. The voice coming from the unseen woman was sweet and sultry, yet that didn't stop it from cursing out the person who it was conversing with.

"Are you serious? You have the rental waiting at the _wrong_ location? What kind of half-assed business are you running?", the woman said.

Mabel giggled and popped her head out, nosily wondering who she was.

"Oh…I see…", she said, snidely

"So you're telling me that I paid _you_ to have a car waiting at a distinct location, and I am saying I actually paid for the extra service…yet you put it in the wrong location", she said.

They saw her roll her eyes and nod a few times.

"Yes…of course…uh-huh…well Mr. Grimes, that's all good and well but I don't really want your apologies. What I want is the name of your supervisor so I can personally tell him what an incompetent fool he hired to work as a car rental agent."

"Don't you _dare_ interrupt me again. Do I make myself clear?" she said, in an authorative voice.

"Good…And don't tell me to file a complaint either because you know where you can shove that", the woman said.

"Please inform your boss that Mr. Bailey will be hearing from me about _you_ …oh yes I do know him…Mr. Bailey, the owner of the company…I handled his finances for a few years actually…", she said, teasingly.

"…you know, helping manage his money so that he could pay your ass not to do your job", she said.

"Oh…well if you perhaps refund me for the transportation fee and extend car rental for another say…three weeks…free of charge of course…I _might_ consider forgetting to make that call…in the next ten minutes…your choice…"

"That's what I thought…don't let it happen again. You're dismissed.", she finally said.

Dipper flinched a bit, hearing her phone shut. The bus driver made his way up to the front again and both of them could already see that there was a slight blush on the man's cheek, followed by a goofy grin.

"Oh thank you, sir. You didn't have to bring my things in for me though…", the woman said, her voice changing to another tone completely.

"Can't let such pretty hands carry such a heavy bag, now can I." the bus driver said.

"Your bags are in the middle section, like you asked", he said, before getting in the driver's seat again.

"Yes. Thank you. I think I'll just look at the scenery for a bit longer, if that's alright", the woman said.

"Not much to see but you're welcome to it. My view's already improved plenty though…", he said looking at her.

Mabel nudged Dipper and made a puking gesture with her finger. Adult old flirting was weird on every occasion.

From where they were, Dipper could see that the woman was a bit taller than he'd expected. Guess she wasn't an old lady after all. Looking closer, Dipper realized that she her body wasn't old in any way either. She was wearing an off the shoulder tank top, that fell loosely yet hugged her body in all the right places. With that, she wore dark wash skinny jeans that accentuated her perfect proportions and long legs…not that he was looking or anything. Wavy chestnut brown hair fell to her back, giving off the appearance of effortlessly elegant and sophisticated. Even the way she stood made it feel like the world belonged to her. Dipper it hard to keep from looking at her. Mabel of course noticed and poked at his cheeks making faces.

After another ten minutes, the road went back being bumpy. Unfortunately, gravity was not Dipper's friend that time either. The teen found his hat launched from his head again, on the floor. He groaned, not wanting to move in fear that he would end up face first again. Slowly, he inched forward, ignoring the bumps. He was almost to the hat when there the bus hit a bump. Dipper felt himself launched forward and waited for his face to connect with the bus floor. It didn't though. He didn't realize that an arm was draped around his shoulders, holding him close to a soft body. A sweet aroma that seemed to smell of everything lovely made its way to his nostrils, making his body tingle. Dipper looked up and saw that it was the same woman who had gotten on the bus.

"W-hoa! Sorry", Dipper let out, realizing that his face was pushed up against her…breasts? His face immediately went red and he could hear Mabel holding in her laughter. The teen peeked up again at the woman. Holy cow…she looked even better from the front. Perfect skin with delicate tinges of pink and an even nicer body view from the front…but her eyes are what really go to him…such a deep green…like emeralds…Dipper blushed again.

"You ok, kid?", she asked, in an effortlessly sultry voice.

"I…I'm fourteen…", Dipper said, not able to look away.

The woman smiled.

"My mistake… _young man_.", she said, her eyes smiling a bit.

Dipper just gulped. The woman turned around and picked up his face, dusting it off, and held it out to him.

"Here. You're hat…", she said. Dipper didn't say anything

"My brother is trying to say thank you", Mabel said, giggling.

"Oh, sister huh? Two cuties on the bus. I guess I'm pretty lucky", the woman said.

"Aaaaw, shucks!", Mabel said, happily.

The woman slowly reached up and brushed a few strands of hair off Dipper's forehead.

"It looks like you may have hit your head earlier. Are you ok?", she asked.

Her hand was so cool and pleasant against his skin that he actually completely forgot about his embarrassing birthmark on his forehead.

"Wow…now that…is a beautiful sight…", she said

"It…is?", Dipper asked.

"Is that…the big Dipper on your head?", she asked.

"Sure is!", Mabel said.

"Uh…hahahaha…yeah…I guess it's pretty weird…but I was born with it you know so…", Dipper rambled.

"Weird as in awesome", the woman said.

"It's such a unique and rare thing you were born with. You must be special", she said and smiled.

"Don't hide it so much, ok?", she said, and gently pushed his hat into his hands.

"Last stop. Gravity falls!", the bus driver called from the front.

"Well it looks like we're here at our favorite home for the summer!", Mabel said.

"Me too", the woman said, and went to gather her things.

"I guess we'll see you in town then" Dipper said, shyly holding his hat in his hands.

"Definitely. First place I'm going to look…", she said.

"Huh? You're looking for something?", Mabel said.

The woman smiled.

"Kind of…I lost track of it a while ago though.". the woman said, walking to the front.

"Nice meeting both of you. Maybe I'll see you around", she said and smiled. A moment later she was gone.

Next to him, Maybel whistled.

"Now that is what I call a neighborhood hottie", she said.

And for once, Dipper couldn't agree more.

* * *

 **A/N: Please Rate and comment! ^0^**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi everyone. Back with the 3rd chapter of my gravity falls fanfic. It's a tiny bit uneventful though :)**

 **I plan to introduce my oc to the others in the next chapter. So please keep reading and thank you for doing so :3**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The two young teens quietly sat on their luggage underneath the shade of a large tree. Dipper busily scribbled a few things in his book…his journal, something that he had started doing ever since last summer. Sadly, there weren't as many supernatural events in California, aside from how people were able to act like crazy convicts when they were dating. That was something that Dipper didn't think could ever be explained. Meanwhile, Mabel happily chatted and snuggled with Waddles. Dipper sometimes thought she liked the pig more than him…which may be true. Mabel had already told him that Waddles was cuter than him.

"I wonder what we're going to do this summer", Mabel said, hugging the small pig.

"Whatever we want", Dipper said, closing his book and sticking it back into his bag.

"I mean…there's no Bill, no apocalypse. We can actually have a relaxing summer this time", he said.

"And won't feel traumatized when asked by our teachers what we did". Mabel added.

"Oh heck yes.", Dipper said, making a face.

Mabel dug her toes into the dirt, gently kicking.

"But _when_ are we going to get back to the shack?", she asked, slumping backwards dramatically.

"Mabel, we've only been out here for like ten minutes", Dipper said, looking at her. His sister was as impatient as always.

"Are we going to be left out here forever?", Mabel asked.

"Of course not. We'll get into town anytime now", Dipper said.

"So when are Grunkle Stan and Ford coming to get us?", Mabel asked.

Dipper looked at his watch and frowned a bit. His sister was actually right. They had been waiting for more than twenty minutes. The weather did feel a bit cooler than usual but it was still a hot beginning to summer. Dipper wiped his neck with a wash cloth, feeling his skin beginning to glisten with sweat again.

"I guess they're going to be late", Dipper said.

"I hope not too late though. It's getting really hot out-", he started both of them began to hear the honking of horn growing closer.

"Dipper look!", Mabel said, excitingly pointing. Dipper's eyes opened wide, seeing the familiar beat up old car driving closer to them. That was Grunkle Stan's car! The twins grabbed their bags and jogged to meet it. When the car finally stopped, they were already on the driver's side staring into the window. A moment later, the glass rolled down .and they were both surprised and happy to see who was in the driver's seat. A guy who was on the larger side wearing a tassel hat honked the horn again and smiled happily at them.

"Hey, dudes", Soos said, unlocking the door and jumping out of the car. Dipper and Mabel let their bags drop to the floor, as they ran into his plush frame. Soos gave them a huge bear hug, lifting them both up in the air as he swung them back and forth. All of them were laughing. The three hugged for another moment before the sound of another door slamming caught their attention.

"Hey, save some hellos for me too, you jerks", Wendy said, joining the hug now.

"Wendy!", Mabel let out, hugging her back.

"How have you been?", Dipper asked, wrapping his arms back around all of them.

"Pretty good", Wendy said, coolly.

"It's so good to see you guys!", she said.

"You too", Mabel said.

"Mr. Pines called and asked if I could pick you guys up", Soos said, as they all got into the car.

"Really? So…their not back yet?", Dipper asked, as the car started moving.

"They said they'd be here later this afternoon", Soos said.

"When I heard Soos talking about picking you guys up, I decided to tag along", Wendy said.

"Yep. I found her hiding in the back seat after five minutes", Soos said, smiling.

"This is great! To think the first ones we'd see are our two favorite workers. What a nice welcome", Mabel said, happily. She pet Waddles who oinked in agreement.

"Yeah but whose watching the shop?", Dipper asked.

"Don't ruin the moment, Dipper", Mabel said.

"Yeah. Don't sweat the details. I found a replacement before I left", Wendy said.

"Really? Wow. I was kind of expecting you to just ditch and lock up like you usually do", Dipper said.

"Dipper. Dipper. I also got a year older too, you know. I am wiser now and will act like more of an adult", Wendy said, waiving him off.

"Not too much like an adult, I hope", Mabel said, poking at her

"Never that. I'm ditching Friday. There's a cookout party at the lake", Wendy said.

"You guys are definitely coming too, right? Everyone's going to be there", she said.

"Wouldn't miss it", Mabel said.

In the back seat, the window was opened as they drove into town, causing the breeze to blow into Dipper's face and through his hair. It felt nice. He rubbed his hot forehead, and slowly edged his hand up until he had pushed the hat off his head completely. Dipper tousled his hair a bit, doing the same habit of trying to hide his birthmark but them stopped a moment later. He realized he didn't really care about it that much. Maybe it was because he was getting older or….for another reason. He couldn't stop his mind from thinking of the pretty women they'd met on the bus. She actually said it was crazy awesome. Dipper trailed his fingers over it. A small part of him was now beginning to think it wasn't as bad as he'd always thought.

"Whoa, Dipper. Are you actually taking a break from that hat?", Wendy joked, looking at him.

"It's…hot", Dipper said.

"Yeah but you like never take that thing off", Soos said, turning onto another road.

"I dunno. Guess I just felt like it this time", Dipper said. He could already see Mabel looking at him, smiling coyly. She always seemed to know what was up.

"It's probably because of that hottie telling him how nice it was", Mabel said. Dipper felt his cheeks heat to a bright red.

"Oh, a hottie complimented you, huh? When did you turn into such a stud?', Wendy said, playfully punching him in his arm. Dipper blushed again.

"Well…I mean I'm not. She uh…she liked my scar", Dipper said, feeling happy again.

"So will we be seeing this nice girl in town? Perhaps we can plan a play date for you two love birds", Soos, said.

Mabel bit her finger and laughed.

"I don't think so. She's waaaaaaaay older", she said.

"High school?', Soos asked. Mabel was about to say something before Dipper clasped his hand over her mouth tightly.

"Yep. She's in high school. A senior! On vacation from um…Florida!", He said, gritting his teeth as Mabel, who smiled in understanding.

"Well, you're in high school too now. So I mean, It's not so bad. Seniors date freshman all the time". Wendy said, putting her feet up.

"Oh…I uh…I'm not planning on any of that or anything", Dipper said.

Wendy made a face.

"Well, I should have known. I guess you still have Pacifica, anyways", Wendy said, giggling a bit.

Dipper felt his cheeks flush.

"Wha? Who told you that? I-I don't…friends…we're just friends! You know amigos. Pals! Nothing special there!", he let out, flustered.

"You did. Nice reaction, by the way", Wendy said. She laughed, running her hands through her red hair.

Mabel laughed. Hearing Dipper let out an embarrassed moan. She nudged him with her elbow.

"Cheer up, Dip. We're already in town. You can bury your face in your pillow for the next five hours", she said. Dipper turned to the window and pressed his face closer the glass and couldn't stop himself from smiling. The town looked just like they had left it. The old buildings, roads that were in much need of repair, officer Blubs and Durland throwing their tasers in air and laughing, and people just walking around and being themselves. He was so happy they would be able to spend the entire summer together. The car hit a bump in the road, making Dipper's head hit the window hard. He groaned in slight pain but found that he wasn't really that bothered by it anymore. He was feeling too positive right now…that and his head may have gotten numb already. Dipper's smile widened, seeing the Mystery Shack in front of them.

"Welcome home, guys", Wendy said as the car pulled in front.

Soos popped the trunk and walking around, grabbing their bags for them. He barely needed one hand to carry all of their things. Both Mabel and Waddles squealed in happiness as she ran through the front door and into the ground floor of the shop.

"Wow, Soos! Love what you've done with the place". she said, looking around to see all the paintings and sculptures of creatures that Soos had made.

"Yeah. These are good. Nice detail too, Dipper added walking in.

"Thanks. Most of them I had nightmares about and could only calm myself down by making the faces of those that disturbed me", Soos said. He made his way out to the hallway with their things.

"I keep telling him that he should apply for an art program or something, but he stays holed up in the shack everyday", Wendy said.

"He really should", Mabel said, running her hands on a werewolf head.

"MAAAABEEEEELLL!", two familiar voices suddenly called out loudly. She barely had time to turn around but already knew who they were. Mabel giggled, feeling Candy and Grenda wrap their arms tightly around her, as they all began swinging in a circle, both laughing and crying.

"Candy! Grenda! It's sooooo good to see you. I missed you both to pieces", Mabel said, hugging them again.

"Us too. We're so happy to see you again.", Candy said.

"And we have ten months' worth of boy gossip and romantic flings to catch up on", Grenda said.

"Wait till Candy tells you-", she began but stopped when Candy placed her hands over her lips.

"Shh! Not yet", Candy said, smiling.

"Weeeeell, now I'm really excited for the summer!", Mabel said.

"And here's our favorite geek!", Grenda said, moving to Dipper and lifting him up into the air in bear hug. Candy quickly joined the embrace.

"I feel like I'm being crushed", Dipper said, feeling tears in his eyes.

"We missed you", Candy said.

"Me…too", Dipper let out, feel his body ache.

"But…I can't breathe", he said.

"Whoops. Sorry", Grenda said laughing. She put him down, smiling. Dipper held his ribs, feeling them pulsing in pain underneath his shirt.

"It's good to see you guys", Dipper said, stretching his aching bones.

"We're going to have so much fun over the summer! What do you guys want to do first?", Candy said, looking at Dipper and Mabel.

"You guys are going to the lake party, right?", Grenda asked.

"Oh yeah they aaaaare", Wendy said.

"It's going to be loads of fun. And everyone's going to be super stoked to see you guys", Soos said, walking up beside them.

"We're going. We're going!", Mabel said happily again.

"Only two days till summer fun!", Candy said.

"And nothing too weird'll happen", Dipper added, leaning against a table. They all stopped talking when there was a rumble from outside. It sounded like an airplane but a bit more…unstable. And the sound was getting closer to where they were. Dipper jumped, hearing the sound of a sudden crash from outside. He and Mabel looked at each other for a moment, before instinctively running out the door to see what the commotion was. The others followed behind them. The twins stopped after a few feet, seeing a thin trail of smoke in the air. Their eyes opened in both surprise and intrigue as they took a few more steps to see what the source of it was. They walked a bit closer and saw a jumble of mechanical and wooden mess. Small sparks and puffs of smoke quickly dispersed in the air before starting again. Dipper felt his skin tingle with excitement when he heard the muffled words of a man. The teens couldn't understand them but they already knew who it was…who they were. They couldn't help but smile, hearing the sound of a sounding groan. A rough hand pushed back a pile of debris before the familiar face of their Grunkle Stan casting an annoyed glance down next to him. He quickly threw a few more pieces of wood out the way.

"Nice job, point Dexter", Stanley said.

"I told you not to move. You're the only reason why we lost altitude that fast", Ford said, sitting up and dusting himself off.

"So, was I not supposed to move when I felt us falling to our deaths?", Stanley said.

"You just made us fall faster", Ford pointed out.

"Your thing was just piece of crap", Stanley said, grinning a bit.

"It was a makeshift aircraft made in a hurry", Ford said, as they both stood.

"At least we got here in one piece though-", Stanley said but was caught off guard by his own laughter. Dipper and Mabel were quickly running towards them, smiles showing brightly on their faces.

"Kids!", Ford called out happily, as they both walked closer. They didn't get too far though. The young brunettes quickly scurried towards them, their arms already out, waiting to make contact. In a moment, Dipper and Mabel had thrown themselves into the arms of the elderly Pine twins. The men were almost knocked over but found a way to keep standing. Their arms quickly pulled the teens into a warm embrace.

"Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Ford!", Dipper and Mabel let out, hugging them back tightly.

"We missed you guys!", Mabel said.

"Whoa! Is that a two seated flying bike?", Dipper asked, peeping behind them.

"Is that how you guys have been traveling this entire summer?", he asked.

"Looks like looooads of fun", Mabel said wide eyes, despite seeing another large puff of smoke.

"How did that even make it all the way here?".. Dipper asked, laughing a bit.

"It didn't. Do you not see this huge pile of crap right here?", Ford said, gesturing to it again.

"Maybe don't do such a rush job next time, huh?", he said, crossing his arms in front of him.

"It wouldn't have been a rush job if you didn't become a wanted man in both New Zealand and Russia", Ford said, smiling at them.

"They're so sensitive down there. One or two national landmarks get destroyed and they throw a hissy fit. They can always make more, right?", Stanley said, waiving it off.

"You guys went to Russia?"., Dipper said, excitedly.

"Wait. Wait. Did you guys find that ghost ship?", he asked, jumping up and down.

"More like it found us", Ford said.

"You guys have to tell us all about it. Where else did you go?", Mabel asked.

"Literally all over the world", Ford said.

"Mr. Pineses!", Soos yelled, running up to them, and throwing his arms around the group.

"Finally, I can hug something other than your bubble gum sculpture", he said.

"How are you, you old geezer?", Wendy asked, joining them in another hug.

"Well, my back is aching and my legs feel like jelly from pedaling that thing for the last thirty miles", Stanley said.

"No one had better even look in the direction of my seat and the T.V.", he added.

"I already have everything set up", Soos said.

"A can of sardines and peanut butter has your name on it", he said.

Ford sniffed a bit and wiped his eye.

"Ah, it's good to be back", Stanley said, as they all walked back to the shack. Grenda and Candy were waiting for them a few feet away smiling.

"This is so cool. Me and Mabel have been reading all of you guys' letters. I can't wait to hear all of your stories", Dipper said.

"And we can't wait to tell you them", Ford said.

"Yeah. Tell em' about all the times we almost got killed in nearly every continent", Stanley said.

"I'd want to hear that", Wendy said.

"Oh, goodie. Storytime with Mr. Pineses. I can ask my abuela to help me make us some enchiladas and rice pudding", Soos said.

"Free food. Now that's my kind of homecoming", Stanley said.

"Welcome home, guys", Mabel said, taking both their hands.

Ford and Stanley both looked at each other, sharing the same content smile on their faces. For the first time in a long time, they truly did feel that they were home. They all walked into the house to catch up.

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 **A/N: Thanks reading. Please rate and comment! ^0^**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing ok! I'm dreading the school year's fast approach _**

 **I get so lazy even thinking about it. Lol. Anyway I'm back with the next chapter of my gravity falls fanfic. :3**

 **I know I said that I would finally introduce the character to the pines family but I had to write a bit where she finally gets the clues. Arrrgghh...I haven't even revealed her name yet. I'm getting so impatient! Hee hee. But I did have fun with Susan's dialogue. :) such a talker she is. Ha!**

 **So I'm going to upload the next chapter pretty quick and finally let them meet in chapter 6. Hehe. Thank you for reading. I hopes you like it! ;)**

* * *

Green eyes slowly opened to squint against the dim light that was making its way into the room through the drapes. The woman blinked a few times before laying her arm across her eyes, in attempt to keep the small amount of light from reaching her pupils. She had obviously forgotten to close them when she tumbled her way into the temporary residence in the late afternoon. The woman had really meant to go into town when she arrived too, but her body told her otherwise. All that overtime she put into work hours to get a few damn weeks off had finally caught up to her. The minute she let her eyes take a rest, she was out like a light for the night…no…for the day. She must have slept for like twenty hours straight…not that she didn't deserve it. She groaned slightly, wondering if anyone would know how many extra hours one person would need to work in order to get two months off from a back killing job… _with_ pay. One thing she didn't play around with was her money. Hell, she could be dead and still trying to work herself dead again. She was now exhausted from everything. The woman hadn't even changed her clothes the night before…well, more like she didn't even put any on. Sometime in the middle of the night she had undressed herself from her constricting clothes and didn't even bother putting anything else on. Her naked legs ran along the sheets, as she stretched her body in her nude freedom. It was just so damn comfortable. The woman yawned and turned on her side, pulling her large pillow over her head. No way it could be time to get up yet. She blinked her eyes in the depths of the dark sheets and raised her head look over at the clock on the night stand. It was quarter to noon. Her brow furrowed slightly. This was the first time she had ever slept in since…she was ten. The woman rubbed her eyes and shrugged. She could stand to sleep for a few more hours right?

Her head quickly plopped back down on her pillow, pulling her sheets completely over her. She sighed in content, as she felt herself relaxing more. She would have to do this more often, even during the work season. She had been missing so much. Just as the woman felt herself drifting off, she let out an annoyed breath, feeling a disturbance from her sleep in her gut. Her eyes opened, as she slowly raised herself off her pillow, loud growls of hunger coming from her stomach. She let out a tired laugh. Could she get a break or what? Her stomach growled loudly again. Guess now. Food was probably a good idea anyway. She hadn't eaten anything since coming her. It's not like she could ignore the needs of her own body. The woman's arms stretched in above her head, hearing the kinks in her body's muscles loosen. She moved her hips a few times, feeling tight tension there as well, before she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her feet touched the soft rug on the ground, before she quickly stood up, the sheets dropping from her naked body. She stretched a few more times and then made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. The woman opened the mirrored medicine cabinet, pulling out her toothbrush and toothpaste. She rubbed her eyes again. She was always the laziest right before her oral hygiene. She quickly brushed her teeth, making sure to properly rinse as well, and then took a quick hot shower. That was a must for her always, no matter how she felt in the day. Once done, she turned off the hot water, the steam already in the air and stood in front of the mirror. Her hands moved to wipe the fog from the glass as she looked at her appearance briefly. The woman made a face. She knew she was not overweight but she sometimes couldn't help but wonder if she was too curvy. Her hands went on either side of her waist and then slid down her hips, feeling how her hips sexily widened from her shapely upper half. Everyone always said they admired her hour glass figure. She furrowed a brow, looking at her large chest area. For the longest, she had been thinking about having breast reduction surgery but she had always been busy. These damn knockers were always giving her unwanted attention. She sighed, reminding herself that she didn't really have a problem with her body…only the asses who liked to make lewd comments on it.

The woman grabbed the nearby towel, and quickly ran it over her body. In less than five minutes, she had walked back to the bedroom, letting the cool air do the rest of the drying for her. She walked over to a nearby chair towards her suitcase and opened it, looking for something to wear. Her hands searched through the clothes for a moment before she stopped, letting out a laugh. For once in a long time, she didn't need to look a certain way. She could wear whatever the hell she wanted. The woman quickly settled on a simple black tank top and another pair of dark wash jeans. She gathered the items in her lap, before quickly grabbing a pair of black flat heeled ankle boots. Once seated on the bed, the woman rubbed a few dabs of body cream on her body and hastily got dressed. Her stomach was killing her by now. Before leaving the room, she grabbed her sun lotion and rubbed layers on her arms, face, and neck. The woman didn't really get sun damaged but it never hurt to be on the safe side. Her hand roughly stuffed the small bottle in her pocket, in case she needed it again. She made her way out down the hall and towards the door, pulling on her shoes. Already knowing that it would be hot, she grabbed a baseball cap and her keys that were already waiting for her. In another moment she was outside, tsking in annoyance at the humid air. How did people live like this? She pressed the car controller for the red sports car, one that the worker in the rental company had graciously insisted on her having after she had explained to him what nonsense she had to go through to get here. The woman nearly laughed her head off when she saw the note from him telling her no to bring it back the day before. Once inside, she immediately turned on the air conditioner, feeling relief from the short time she spent in the heat. She slid her sunglasses on, pumping the gas pedal a few times to feel for resistance. The woman quickly started the car and was down the driveway in a matter of minutes. In the rearview mirror, she could see the cabin becoming more hidden behind the trees. It was a nice place she had rented…ok a very nice place. It was surrounded by cherry blossom trees and sat on a large chunk of land that even had its own lake. She wondered how many acres it had. It may have been a bit on the pricey side but it was well worth it. The large cabin was both comfortable and secluded, her main requirements for a living space. She probably could have saved a lot more if went to an inn though. The woman made a face, remembered the run down building she had passed when she got here. She had dodged such a bullet by getting the cabin before even traveling here. No way she would have slept comfortably in that place.

The car efficiently hummed as she drove past the long gravel driveway and finally onto the main road. As she moved, the woman noticed how the scenery changed. In a few minutes she noticed how the buildings became smaller and older. She smiled, not being able to help but feel as though the town had a special kind of charm she was not used to. She could learn to like it…given that she had the right place to vacation in. The woman drove for a couple more minutes, finally seeing that she was in the small town. Another smile crossed her face. The place she was in…it was…quaint. Her brow furrowed, realizing that she had probably lived in MUCH worse circumstances as a child. That was part of the reason she had felt a bit out of place when first arriving…it reminded her of where she came from. Despite this though, the woman felt like she couldn't hold a grudge against it, especially if she'd be able to find Ford here. Her hand gripped the steering wheel, remembering the man who had saved her such a long time ago. Damn fool had her obsessed with him ever since…and she didn't even knew him! She sighed again, hearing her stomach make another loud noise. Great she was thinking about the guy nonstop _and_ she was still hungry. She couldn't obsess on an empty stomach, could she? The woman pulled onto nearby street, pulling out her android. Her finger pressed the map tool, as she tried searching for food locations close by. The woman let out an aggravated sigh when a connection error message appeared on the screen. She held the phone up in the air, trying a few more times. The same message kept popping up. This had to be a joke. Her finger pressed the icon a few more times and still nothing happened. She pressed the speaker button, trying that too.

"Find food near me", her voice said clearly.

" _There is not enough signal strength in your area. Please change your location and try again"_ , her phone answered back. The woman felt her mouth drop in complete shock. She had remembered since coming into town her phone wasn't working right but she had thought that it was because she was on the bus. Is there literally no global internet around her? What was she supposed to do? Dammit. She had even ignored getting a map or travel brochures along the way here. The woman repeated the request into the phone, raising her voice. Again, she got the same reply. She rubbed her hand on her face, exasperated. Her stomach growled gain loudly. Annoyed, she threw her phone in the backseat. It wasn't going to be of any use to her anyway. She quickly started the car and pulled back on the streets, looking at anything that looked like a place to get food. The woman drove for a few blocks and then quickly came to the conclusion that she didn't know where she was going at all. Her eyes peered out the driver's window looking at the buildings again. She furrowed her brows, realizing that people's eyes were turning to look at her drive by. The woman wrinkled her nose. Did she really look that lost? She shrugged, deciding that she might as well ask for directions. Her eyes glanced to the left, seeing a large set man wearing a pink shirt walking on the side walk. She quickly honked the horn twice close behind him, and saw the man turn to look at her, his eyes wide. Was that a sombrero he was wearing? The woman held in a giggle, rolling her window down as the man came up to the driver's side.

"Hi. I'm new around here….and a bit turned around. Do you think you can point me in the direction of someplace to grab a bite to eat?", she asked, leaning back in her seat. The woman made a face, seeing that his mouth was hanging wide open.

"So…do you know?", she asked again. She raised a brow, seeing that man's face grow smug, as he leaned against the car a bit too casually for her liking.

"Why, hello there, pretty lady. And how are you doing this fine day?", he asked in a very southern accent, skinning his large teeth at her.

"Hungry", the woman answered back, giving him a look.

The man rubbed his hands together, as if thinking. He looked more excited than he should from just talking to a stranger.

"Oh, why yes. Of course. There's a mighty fine diner up the street if you're looking for some decent grub to put in your tummy", he said, his eyes traveling her body.

"Just drive past that house up there and take the second right", the man said, leaning against the car again.

"Thanks. I've been trying to get something to eat since getting here", she, her eyes looking up ahead to where he had pointed.

"Care for some company?", the man asked, raising his brows up and down a few times. Was he actually trying to get fresh with her? She held in making a disgusted face at his offer.

"No thanks. I prefer to eat alone", the woman replied back.

"Oh…well are you sure now? You know, some have said that eating with others makes the food taste so much sweeter. I would happily-", the large man started.

"Thanks for the directions", she said, rolling up her window, completely ignoring the fact that his grubby hands were on the glass. He moved them just in time to keep his fingers from getting crushed. The woman gave him one final wave before pulling back onto the road. She would definitely have to get a map now. She didn't want to go through that again. The woman wondered if everyone on the town was so…friendly. The only person she was interested in speaking to was Ford and if she couldn't find him then…well never mind anyone else. She drove a short distance before making the right. She blinked her eyes, seeing that she had somehow driven to the middle of nowhere…like everything else was really. Her car drove for a few more blocks before she finally saw a structure that looked like a…big log. There was an fashioned sign that read _Greasy's Diner_. Sounds healthy enough. She quickly parked the vehicle and grabbed her keys out of the ignition. The woman pushed her long hair back behind her ears once before getting out and locking the door behind her. The smell of home cooked food wafted into her nostrils, making stomach growl again. She quickly made her way through the door, hearing its hinges creek. A second later a bell jingled, signaling her arrival. As soon as she stepped, foot into the place, her skin prickled, feeling eyes following her as she walked on the old floors towards the counter. She ignored it. What the hell were they staring at? She guessed that they didn't get much new faces around the area. Once at empty the counter, she rang the bell twice, hoping to get quick service for her hunger. Her ears picked up the sound of pattering footsteps in her direction. An elderly woman who seemed to be half asleep walked up to her…well at least one of her eyes were sleeping. The woman in uniform smiled at her.

"How can I help ya, miss?", she asked., already holding is a pen and pad.

"I actually need a menu to order for now", the woman said, throwing her hair behind her shoulders. The elderly lady quickly nodded once time and disappeared behind the counter. She reappeared in moment holding the menu.

"Sorry about that. We usually leave those things all around the place. Don't know where they got off to", she said, scratching her head, thinking.

"Thanks", she said, taking it from the waitress.

"Sit anywhere you like. I'll be with ya in a jiffy", the lady said, walking off.

She looked at the menu for a second before grabbing her keys and setting down in an empty booth. The old leather seats creaked under her body. She could deal though. The woman scanned the list of foods, trying to decide what to get. She wondered if she could get breakfast in the afternoon. After all, she had gotten up not too long ago. She would hate to upset her stomach with greasy foods so soon. The woman furrowed her brow, hearing whispering around her. She tried to ignore it and continued looking at the menu instead. It's not like she knew they were talking about her, right? Her neck itched, telling her otherwise. It always seemed to do that when someone was paying her too much attention. She bit her lip and lowered the menu just past her eyes to look in front of her. She made a tired face, seeing at least fifteen pairs of eyes looking at her. They quickly turned their attention elsewhere when they saw she had noticed. The woman sighed and wondered if she could get the food to go instead. She looked up again, seeing that same waitress close by her table.

"Decided what to get yet, hon?", the old lady asked in a nasally voice.

"Hmmm. Could I get the pancakes and French toast with a side of coffee?", she asked.

"I know it's kind of late but…", the woman trailed off.

"Sure. Sure. No problem. It's probably your first time here anyways.", the waitress said.

"Oh, it is", the woman answered, laughing a bit.

"Are you a tourist?", the lady asked, blinking her good eye.

"No…I'm just here to meet a friend", she answered.

"Ooooh, I bet a nice lady like you gets all the boys, ay?", the waitress said, laughing.

"Something like that", the woman said, smiling.

"Well, hang tight and I'll be back with your food.", the waitress said, walking off. The woman sighed, relaxing in her seat. She thought for a moment. Maybe this really would turn into a horrible vacation. She had lost the use of her electronic devices, the only means she had been using to come this far. It took her months of researching to finally find this place where he might be and now she was completely helpless. The woman blew hair out of her face, annoyed. She rubbed her warm forehead, realizing that she was still wearing her hat and shades. The woman quickly pulled them both off, running her fingers through her hair. She noticed that people were beginning to stare back at her again and this time she made sure to cast a menacing glance back at them. They quickly returned to minding their own damn business. About ten minutes passed before the waitress came back with the food she ordered. It smelled alight.

"Here you are. Enjoy.", the lady said to her.

"If you need anything else, just gimme a call. People around here call me Lazy Susan", she said, blinking her eye.

"Thanks…Susan", the woman said, giving her a smile.

"You wouldn't happen to know where I could get a map around her, would you?", she asked.

"Well, I have a few of those in the back. Meh. They're a bit old but this town hasn't seen a lick of change in the last forty years. I'll grab em' for you when you're done", Susan said, raising her sleepy eye to look at her.

"I appreciate it", the woman said.

"No problem", Susan said, giving her a small wave and walking off. The woman stared after her for a few moments before turning to her plate of food. Her stomach growled just by looking at it. She wasted no time in stuffing forkfuls of the food into her mouth. It was better than she thought it was. At least the town's diner knew how to make a good breakfast. As she ate, her eyes scanned the space. It was bigger on the inside than it looked in the out. Comfortable sitting booths and a large bar lined the entire place. It was so old fashioned. She smiled, beginning to like it even more. In a less than twenty minutes, she was done and already leaning back in her chair, feeling more relaxed. She took a bottle of hand sanitizer from her purse and let a few drops fall on her hands to clean them. The woman admitted that she the food was good but she was not going to set foot in the bathroom. She was very iffy about things like that. Her hands slid to her side, grabbing the hat, and placing it back over her head. The woman quickly reached into her wallet and took out a few dollars. She sighed, seeing that she had forgotten to make change like she usually did. Oh well. The waitress would just be getting a nice tip then. She glanced up, seeing the familiar shadow again. Speak of the devil.

"Here you go, hun", she said, placing the large folded paper on the table.

"Thanks. Really needed this", the woman said, stuffing it into her purse.

"Looking for a few love nests, huh? I can tell ya few, if you're _interested_ ", the waitress said, laughing.

"I'm not really here for that", she said, smirking a bit.

"But you are here to meet a _friend_ ", Susan said, wiggling her pencil in her finger.

"Maybe", the woman said, raising a brow.

"Well, I haven't found him yet", she added, finishing the last of her coffee.

"Aha. So you're looking for a hot summer fling", Susan said, a bit too loudly. The woman's eyes opened wide in shock. She was about to say something but…then stopped. Was that completely wrong? She glared at the men in the room, seeing them look in her direction again, upon hearing Susan's comment.

"I'm looking for a _specific_ person", she said. There was a flurry of disappointed sighs in the room.

"A woman's gotta have standards", Susan said.

"Anything special?", she asked, now fully caught up in the conversation. The woman was about to tell her to forget it when she realized that without her phone, she would have to rely on the old fashioned way of finding things. This meant using maps and asking the locals. She rubbed her hand over her lips, thinking.

"Well actually…yeah. I'm looking for a guy I used to know", the woman said, starting off in small detail.

"I think he's around here somewhere", she said.

Susan laughed.

"So you are looking for a date", she said, again.

"No. I'm-", the woman started.

"If it's a man you're looking for, ya probably came to the wrong place. Not much to choose from, quality wise, if you get catch my drift", Susan said.

"We have rude teens, fat men, old geezers, and the occasional tourist. And they always leave pretty quick", she said.

"Old men, hmmm", the woman said, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Sure. Sure. A lot', Susan said.

"Oh…", the woman let out, feeling a bit down. It's not like she could ask about every man over the age of fifty.

"There's Mr. Jenkins Mr. Mores, old man McGucket….he's a very weird guy but he got filthy rich over night last summer…oh and rangers Blubs and Durland. They look about the age to be called old anyway…, Susan went on.

"Oh no you don't have to-", the woman began but stopped, hearing the waitress go on for what seemed like forever, calling random names. Was Susan going to actually name every old guy in town? She rubbed her face with her hands. Maybe this was a bad idea. The woman sighed and placed her hand through her hair, leaning on the table to look up at the elderly lady's quickly moving mouth. Might as well let her finish.

"And then there's…oh wait…he kicked the bucket at a hundred and seven, so he's out. Still, there's that pool guy and that bird guy…but he's already married…to a woodpecker. Ain't that a hoot? Then there's the old Pines twins, Stan and Ford but they haven't been around since…", Susan's voice quickly dulled in her ears. The woman perked her head up to look at the waitress, who was still calling off names. Had she heard right? Ford…she said the name Ford, hadn't she? The woman grabbed her purse, and put it on the table. She quickly waved her hand in the air to get Susan's attention, making her stop talking for a moment.

"Whoa. Whoa. Back up a bit…ok…you know what, back up a lot actually", she said, thinking that Susan had said at least an additional twenty names.

"Did you say Ford?", the woman asked, scooting over to the edge of her seat.

Susan nodded.

"Well, yeah. Stan and Ford are an old pair of twins. On vacation together, I think", she said, biting at her pen.

"Pretty nice guys. Just ask anyone. Well, that Stan can be a pain in the butt at times…and a bit of slob…and a money grubbing geezer but he's ok", Susan said.

"What about the one named Ford?", the woman asked, clutching at her bag.

"Oh, he's the smart one, definitely. Knows all kinds of math and literature and science and robotic and mechanical dohickies, you know nerd stuff. He's real polite though. Nice man…if you don't mind the extra fingers and all", Susan said.

"Extra fingers? So he has six on each hand, right?", the woman said, pulling back out her wallet.

"Yeah. Yeah. Takes a while getting used to shaking a hand like that. Firm grip", the waitress babbled on. The woman wasn't listening to much of anything else though. She was already hastily grabbing her things. Her hand reached into her purse, pulling back out the map. She'd probably need it.

"Where are they…where is he?", the woman asked, suddenly standing up.

"Well I don't really know if they're your type-", Susan started.

"Just tell me, ok? I…I might have a question for him…um…for them", the woman said.

"I don't think they're back just yet though", Susan said, looking at her curiously.

"Then where do they usually go? Does he…do they work close by, maybe?", she asked, opening the map and looking at the worn paper. Her heart beat excitedly in her chest, realizing how close she had come. She silently thanked everything that had brought her here. The sleepless train ride, the returning urge to look for him, this chatterbox of a waitress…hell, she even thanked that annoying as fat man who had told her directions.

"Stan and his brother live at the Mystery Shack about two miles from here. It's a store that he runs in town. Since they left, someone else has been running the place but-", she stopped, seeing the woman shove her sun glasses back and throw her bag over her shoulder.

"Where is it?", the woman asked, holding the map in front of Susan. She quickly pointed on a street name and ran her finger along the path.

"Just go back the way you came and go down that big hill. Take two rights and then the first left. Can't miss it", Susan said. The woman quickly pulled a bill out of her wallet and casually stuck it the woman's apron pocket.

"Thanks!", she said, before briskly walking to the door.

"Hey wait a minute! You already got money on the table! What about your change?", Susan called out to her, lifting her sleep lid to watch her go.

"Don't worry about it!", the woman said back, waving. She was out the door in a matter of seconds, loudly closing it behind her.

"Gosh, what's her hurry?", Susan said, looking after where the stranger had gone. Her eyes traveled to table, where a twenty dollar bill was. She blinked once in complete shock. No one had ever left that much a tip without even asking for any of it back. The waitress whistled, pulling out another twenty from her pocket. Fort dollars for a meal worth six. She should have told the gal to come again. Susan laughed, grabbing a hold of the plates. Something told her that she would see her around.

* * *

 **A/N: Please rate and comment! ^0^**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sooooooo close! But not quite. Lol.**

 **Please enjoy! :)**

* * *

Stan's old car loudly pulled up to the Greasy Diner, the hot summer air bearing down on all the passengers in the car. The old rust bucket still didn't have a working air conditioner, despite Dipper's and Mabel's complaints since last year. They guessed the old man was both too lazy and too cheap to get it done. One or the other…possibly both. By the time, the family of four pulled up to the diner, moisture was already soaking in their clothes. The only one who seemed be alright was Ford, who was quietly humming to himself, as he jotted a few things down in his notebooks while at the same time conversing with Dipper about their travels. The young teen fanned himself with his hat as they continued their conversation, the four of them getting out of the hot car to seek shelter from the heat, as well as food for their bellies. Mabel happily skipped the few feet to the door, lightly making jokes to all of them and discussing plans for the summer. Stan followed the group, lazily scratching himself, mostly thinking of what his first order of food would be since getting back. He was already thinking something extremely greasy and poor for his health would be perfect. As they walked through the door, all eyes turned to them and they were greeted with a number of friendly waves and nods. Ever since what happened with Bill, the people in the town had been a bit too polite to them…not that Stan minded it at all. He grinned back, responding with a small bow. He had tried so hard to keep his ego under control. Oh well. The four Pines' quickly found an empty booth and settled down. Mabel was gone a moment later, getting all of them menus, practically dancing all the way there. While she was gone, Dipper pressed on for even more details on Ford's and Stan's adventures, even when he had been asking question till late in the evening last night.

"So, did you guys really see the Southern sasquatch?", Dipper asked, looking at them, wide eyed.

"I don't know about nerd boy here, but I came pretty close to it. Thing stunk to high heaven.", Stan said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What did it look like?", Dipper asked, taking off his hat and smoothing his bags over his birthmark.

"Big. Tall. Ugly and looks like a cross between a really big gorilla and even bigger bear", Stan said, leaning against his seat.

"Yes. It had a chest span of five feet and weighed around six hundred pounds. A vey menacing creature to come up against", Ford added.

"Where did you get all that from hiding in a tree?", Stan asked, giving his brother a look.

"I wasn't hiding. I was observing. I told you we were supposed to get to a high area to catch glimpse of it at the right time", Ford said.

"We wouldn't have been able to see it then", Stan said.

"You climbed up one pretty fast when it came your way", Ford said.

"Look, it didn't seem that big so far away, alright?", Stan said, crossing his arms.

Ford laughed and smiled at the young teen.

"Stanley can be quite nimble when he wants to. He climbed a ten foot tree in less than twenty seconds. A very nice evasive maneuver", he said.

Dipper let out a laugh.

"You wouldn't be laughing if it nearly scratched your eyes out", Stan said, placing his hands on the table.

"It was thirty feet away from you before you started running", Ford said, raising a brow.

"Close enough", Stan said.

"What's close enough?", Mabel asked, coming back and handing them all menus.

"Grunkle Stan ran away from something they were looking for", Dipper said, lightly.

"Yeah…I was running from a big, ugly beast. You heard what Ford said. Thing was huge", Stan said.

"It could have been friendly. The oxes were anyway", Mabel said.

"When it was running towards me, with crazy long arms moving around in the air, it didn't look too nice", Stan said.

"Next time, stick to the plan then. You were supposed to set the trap for it and then wait. You just went up to it without even giving it a second thought", Ford said, crossing his arms and smiling.

"Well, excuse me for being too proactive", Stan said, making a face. They all laughed response, Stan himself joining in a moment later. They all talked for a few minutes, briefly looking at their menus, despite the fact that they practically knew everything on it by heart. They soon heard the pitter patter of Susan coming towards them, her usual pen and pad stuffed into her pocket.

"Well, if it isn't the Pines family. How ya been?", the waitress asked, smiling.

"My legs still ache like hell", Stan said.

"Other than that, I'm great. Was able to come back with all my organs intact anyways. And that's saying something", he said.

"We really missed this place. We're definitely going to savor our first meal back", Mabel said.

"Yes. And I can catch up on some much needed reading. I didn't have much time to do any on the road…being that me and Stan nearly got mauled or eaten on a daily basis for the last two months", Ford said.

"Awe, you crazy kids with your adventures", Susan said.

"Will you be saving us again this summer too?", she asked, letting out a laugh.

"Nope. Not this time. These two months are going to be nothing but relaxation and fun", Dipper said, smiling.

"Aaaaaaand maybe a bit of romance, right?", Mabel added.

"Eh… _Dipcifica_?", she said, nudging her brother with an elbow.

"I thought I told you to stop using that ship name", Dipper said, his cheeks turning red.

"It's going to sail sooner or later. We all know it", Mabel said.

"Quit saying weird things", Dipper groaned.

"I saw those letters, you know. Nice of you to keep in contact with her", Mabel replied, smiling.

"How sweet", Susan said.

"How do you even know-", her brother began but was cut off by Mabel.

"Sail the ship! Sail the ship! Sail the ship!", Mabel chanted, pumping her hands in the air.

"There is no ship!, Dipper said, flustered, his cheeks burning a bright red.

"Yes there is", Mabel whispered in Susan's direction.

Her brother only groaned again in response. His face was soon pressed up against the table.

"Aren't summer romances just the sweetest?", Mabel said, sighing with a smile.

"Romancing ain't worth the time, if you ask me", Stanley said.

"Old people aren't supposed to care about that kind of stuff, so that's normal", Mabel said.

"You're only saying that because you've been divorced three times", Ford said, giving him a look.

"Exactly my point", Stanley said.

"That _is_ a lot of times to get divorced", Dipper said.

"Alight, smart guy, then what about you? You're the same age as me. What do you have to say about that lovey dovey junk?", Stan asked, looking at his twin.

Ford shrugged.

"Well…nothing, of course. I've been too caught up in my studies to think about such matters", he said.

"See? It is a waste of time", Stan said.

"I didn't say that. I just never had the time for it like you", Ford said.

"Because you wanted to have your nose stuck in a book instead", Stan said.

"It's an enjoyable pastime", Ford said, smiling weakly.

"Oh, my _gosh_. So you've never dated…like ever", Mabel said, pressing her hands to her eyes.

"Well, no. I always preferred my studies as opposed to…company", Ford said, coughing nervously.

"Don't you worry, your pretty little head, Grunkle Ford. Mabel is on the case. One hundred percent guaranteed to find you a hot summer love", Mabel said, pointing at him.

Ford laughed.

"That's not really necessary. I'm much too old for that sort of thing anyway", Ford said, smiling.

Mabel gasped.

"No one's too old for love!", she said.

"People in their mid-hundreds might be", Dipper said.

"Meh. That could be an exception", Mabel replied. In front of them, Susan was tapping her pen against her lip, as if trying to remember something. A moment later, a light seemed to turn on in her head, as she smiled again.

"Oh, well hey now! Come to think of it there was a lady in here not too long ago. Said she was looking for a hot date too!", she said.

"See? Everyone's looking to catch that love bug", Mabel said, smiling.

"You can keep that bug away from me", Stan said, putting his hand up.

"Only the sadly desperate actually look for that junk", he said.

"She was quite a looker too", Susan said.

"On second thought…", Stanley began, tugging on his tie.

"Grunkle Stan, you just said you didn't care about that kind of stuff", Dipper said.

"Well, I would if she was a hottie", Stan said.

"Heck yeah, she was", a random guy said, walking past to the counter.

"See?", Susan said. She scratched her head a few times.

"Now what was it she said…oh! Yeah. She we looking for someone. An old guy", she said.

"Meaning that she was looking for a particular person", Dipper said, making a face at Stan.

"What kind of loser is she to be looking for an old geezer, anyway?". Stan asked.

"You mean an old geezer like you are?", Dipper asked, letting out a laugh.

"Watch it, kiddo", Stan, said, messily tousling the teen's hair.

"She was bit weird herself, though. Pretty woman like that asking around for an old man. Could be her grandpa", Susan said.

"Or a teacher", Ford said.

"You and your books again", his brother said, rolling his eyes.

"And now that you mention it…", Susan said, poking the pen into her hair.

"She seemed pretty fired up when…well when I said something about you two", she said, looking at Ford and Stan.

Dipper wrinkled his nose.

"Wait a minute. Why was she looking for Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford?", he asked.

"Beats me", Susan said, with a shrug.

"She asked a lot of questions about it. I told her you were on vacation for the summer but then she asked me where you two spent most of your time, and I told her about the Mystery Shack and a few of Stanford's hobbies...oh…I may have told her Stan was a slob but…", the waitress said, trailing off and then shaking her hands a bit.

"But anyways, she literally ran out of here once I told her where to find the shack. Didn't even ask for her change. I never got a thirty dollar tip in my life. So much money, it was.", Susan went on, saying a few more things.

"I wonder what she wanted", Dipper said, rubbing at his chin. He felt so curious now.

"Probably nothing", Mabel said.

"I hope the FBI didn't send someone else to look into all that stuff that happened last summer", Dipper said, beginning to feel a bit anxious.

"That's nothing to worry about…you know…with the never mind all that rule in town now", Stan said.

"But there could be more government agents here. And I don't think a few tasers are going to stop them", Dipper said.

"Bro. This is a worry free summer, remember? Don't sweat it. As long as she's not a shape shifting demon, it's not really something we have lose sleep over", Mabel said.

"How about finally get some food?", she added.

"I'll take a chicken sandwich and chocolate shake, please", she said, looking at Susan.

"Yeah. Good plan. I'll take three of your greasiest everything cheeseburgers with a large order of fries, and iced tea", Stan said.

"I thought you said you were watching your diet", Ford said.

"You're right. Make that a large chocolate shake. Who would ever eat a burger with tea, right?" Stan said, smiling.

"I'll take the grilled chicken dinner with a salad", Ford said.

"What about the little Mister?", Susan asked, writing down the orders. The young teen was biting on his finger in deep thought.

"Yo. Dip. What are you eating?", Mabel said, poking him.

"Oh…I'll have a chili dog with a soda", he finally said.

"Coming right up!", Susan said, taking the menus and disappearing a moment later.

"It's nothing to worry about, Dipper. All proof of any abnormal activity that took place her has been destroyed", Ford, said. The man made a face when he saw a small gnome running underneath all the tables and then out an open window.

"There's no proof that Bill or the extradimensional portal existed", he said, mentioning the biggest issues.

"Those are the only things they would be interested in, and every trace of it is long gone. You don't have anything to worry about. This summer is going to be normal and fun. Nothing special except us all spending time together", the old man said.

"Yeah. I guess you're right. I really do worry too much", Dipper said.

"Because you're getting old", Stan said.

"Before you know it, you'll be geezers like us…I mean like Ford", he said.

"You're not younger than me", his brother said, raising a brow.

"I'm young at heart, though", Stan said.

"Meaning you're immature", Ford said, smiling.

"Oh, shut up, you.", Stan, said, playfully punching his arm.

"This summer's going to be great, remember?", Mabel said, smiling.

"You guys are coming to the lake party too, right?", she said, looking over at her grunkles.

"Would that require me wearing a…bathing suit?", Ford, asked, nervously tugging at his collar.

"Well, you can't swim in your day clothes, now can you?", Mabel said.

"I have so much reading to do…looking for clues to undiscovered creatures and such", Ford said.

"Boooooo", Stan said, loudly.

"Come on, it'll be fun", Mabel insisted.

"You might even catch a hottie yourself", she said.

"I don't think sixer has that in him.", Stan said.

"You never know", Mabel said.

" I suppose", Ford said.

"If I can shove a swim suit on my saggy body then you can suffer too", Stan said.

"That does sounds reasonable", Ford agreed.

"So you'll come", Mabel said.

"I…guess I could stop by for a few minutes", the old man said, smiling.

"Summer time lake party with the grunkles!", Mabel said, excitedly.

They talked for a few moments before, Susan finally hobbled back with a cart full of their orders. Stan quickly grabbed his and started stuffing cholesterol and calories into his mouth, a content look on his face. The others laughed and then started eating their own food. As they sat at the table, feeling the familiar setting of the diner and having random conversations while they ate, they all felt that things were as they were meant to be. It really would be just be a normal summer with no surprises at all…and they were completely happy with that.

* * *

The woman quickly drove the car down the street, just slightly going past the speed limit…just a bit. She made another left before her eyes squinted behind her shades, seeing a rickety old house in the distance. An old run down sign that read _Mystery Shack_ in jagged letters was plastered on the front, some of the them looking like they were about to fall off. The place was definitely old. She furrowed her brow. Was Ford really here? It didn't look like the sort of place he would associate with. But then again…she didn't even know him. The woman quickly pulled into a parking space in front of the shop, ready to go in. She barely remembered to take the keys out of the ignition before she hopped out of her car. Before she even knew it, she was standing at the door, her hand already on the knob. The woman didn't waste any time thinking. She quickly pushed the door open, again, hearing the sound of a bell on its hinges. The woman ignored the stares that she got upon entering and let her eyes wander the interior of the store. Her brow furrowed again, as she looked at the strange merchandise in the place. Was that a fish with legs wearing red pumps? What kind of place was this, exactly? She walked a few more feet, before stopping. Up ahead, there was a large guy dressing a statue of a werewolf in a Hawaiian shirt. He wore a black suit and tassel hit on his head. The young man took a step back, looking at his work before repositioning a few more things on the statue. She saw his head glance to the right, feeling her standing behind him.

"Why hello there, stranger. Welcome to the…", he trailed off, fully looking in her direction now.

"I…Uh…Uh…Shack Mystery you're welcome to", he said, dumbly. His mouth was gaped open a few inches for a moment. A giggle escaped the woman's lips, realizing how sweetly funny the young man was.

"Welcome to the Mystery Shack?", She said, smiling.

"Yeah. Totally…", he said, back, still looking at her. The guy shook his head twice, composing himself. He tugged the stringy bow tie a few times before speaking.

"What can I help you with? We have everything here at the Mystery Shack. From do dads to trinkets. Spell books to items acquired from various creatures, even the occasional lucky charm from mythical animals. You can get it all here", he said, enthusiastically.

"Is any of this stuff actually legit?", the woman asked, raising a brow.

"Of course. Our products are one hundred percent authentic or your money back guaranteed. Well, actually scratch that. Our policy says that we can't give refunds", he said.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?", he asked, brushing the shirt of the statue again.

"How about directions to a decent shop?", the woman heard a relaxed voice say. She turned her head to see a teen red headed girl with freckles, wearing a green and black plaid shirt and ripped jeans. The young girl smiled at her, placing a box on a table. The woman immediately returned it. She was cute.

"You a tourist?", the girl asked, looking her up and down.

The woman smiled.

"I really look that out of place, huh?", she said, letting out a laugh.

"Nah. You actually look cooler than anyone who's ever been in this joint", the red head said.

"Way cool ink by the way", the girl added, smiling at her black rose tattoo sleeve. The woman smiled again. It had been the first time she'd let that thing show since coming here.

"Thank you. The pain was definitely worth it", she said with a laugh.

"You don't look like the type of person who'd shop here", the girl said, leaning against a table.

"What are you looking to get, ma'am?", the guy asked, smiling.

"I'm actually looking for someone who's supposed to be around here. Well that's what I've heard, anyway", the woman said.

"A man named Ford…is he around here?", she asked, getting straight to the point. She was acting casual but her heart was already about to thump out of her chest.

"Old guy, wears glasses…has six fingers?", the teen asked.

"Yes. Exactly! That's him. Is he in right now?", the woman asked, turning her green eyes in every direction.

"The Mr. Pineses are out to lunch. You just missed him", the guy said. The woman held in an aggravated yell, realizing that they had probably gone to the same diner she had just left from. She held in the curse words she was about to say in frustration. The woman took three breaths in and out to calm herself. She just needed to be patient a little longer.

"Do you know when he'll be back?", she asked.

"They shouldn't be out too long. Ford doesn't like being away from his books too long", the girl said.

"You can hang around here and wait for him if you want", she offered. The woman glanced to the left, seeing a man walking out the front door linger to look at her. He quickly left after she shot him a glare. She didn't really feel like putting up with any more of that for the day. She was just happy that after all these years…she finally _found_ him.

"No. I'll come back a bit later", the woman said.

"What do you need to talk to him about? We can take a message for you or something", the teen said. The woman smiled.

"That's ok. I'd…much rather speak with him myself", she said.

"But thanks…" the woman trailed off, as she squinted her eyes, looking for their identification.

"We're too cheap to stretch for name tags. My name's Wendy. And this big guy over here is Soos", the teen said, gesturing to the young man. She thanked them again before turning towards the door. The woman quickly walked out back to her car, already knowing that she probably wasn't even going to move from her spot. She'd just have to park a little farther away, but in all honestly, the woman knew she wasn't going to let the shack out of her sight. She would lay and wait for the man she'd been trying to find for a good chunk of her life.

* * *

 **A/N: Please Rate and comment! ^0^**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello everyone ! I'm baaaaaack! LOL. with my next chapter for my Gravity Falls fanfic, of course! I FINALLY introduced Ford to the OC. So in the next chapter i can start making all the fun stuff happen! Haha!**

 **This installment was a bit harder to write than most, mainly because I kept taking things out and stuff. Would you believe that I actually made a real effort to make it shorter? lol. I remember the good ol' days when the chapters were like 2500 words only, hehe.**

 **Anyway, enough of my rambling. I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

Two hours passed as the woman continued to wait safely in the cool interior of the car. She had no choice but to turn the air conditioning down after the first thirty minutes, otherwise she would have frozen herself stiff. The woman shivered again, even with it on the lowest of settings. The thing was so damn strong. She quickly turned it off and leaned back in her seat. She was parked a few yards away from the store, a safe distance away from visitors and anyone else who might see her. The woman let out a light laugh, feeling surprised by the fact that she hadn't been called out for trespassing. If she had been in the city, she knew she would have gotten slapped in the face with a $200 fine and a warning for being so close to a place of business yet not buying anything. She would admit that the shack place did look…interesting…but she that wasn't what she was here for. Her main goal…her only goal was to finally make contact with the old man who had been missing from her life for all these years. Again, her skin warmed with excitement from thinking about him. She could still hardly believe that she was able to find him in this small town surrounded by masses of forests and nature. The woman had seen enough of it to know that much…it kind of was a nice change of pace. She might even try going on a hike…for once in her life. Her green eyes glanced up ahead in the far distance towards the shack. She couldn't help but raise a curious brow, seeing what she made out as a young teen running out of the store with a horrified look on his face. Maybe the things they sold in there really _were_ authentic. The woman could remember that when she was younger, Ford really did look like he might be a nerd but…she never really pegged him for the kind of person who would run a store. She more expected him to be some esteemed college professor or scientist. Not that she cared either way…Ford was Ford.

The woman reclined her seat back a few more inches, making sure that she still had a view of the building. She let out a bored sigh, tapping her foot on the car floor. Sure, she knew that she had just showed up out of the blue and all to find him, but she couldn't help the feeling of impatience mixed in with her growing anticipation. The diner wasn't that far away. Did it really take that long to eat a meal? She grumbled a few things to herself about holding on a bit longer but still wanting him to hurry up. The woman repositioned her butt on the seat, feeling it losing feeling from sitting in the same spot for so long. She also stretched her hands over her head and let out a light yawn. It didn't matter how late it was in the afternoon, she wanted to nap again, dammit. She squinted her eyes a bit and sighed disappointedly, seeing a few more people come in and out of the store…people who weren't Ford. She didn't know what he looked like now but…she would know him what she saw him. A few cars drove past her back onto the road, leaving the parking lot a bit emptier. They really had been getting good business for the short time she was here.

She reached in the console, pulling out her phone, and saw that it was just a bit past three. Her arms shivered again in the cold air trapped in the car. She didn't want to open the window and risk letting a bug inside. Instead, the woman tightly hugged her jacket close to her body, waiting for the glass to magnify some of the heat from the outside. She leaned back against the head rest, her eyes beginning to grow heavy in boredom. It was so true she had been doing this for what seemed like forever and she had been more than patient with everything…but damn. How much longer was she going to have to wait? Damn god was really such a freaking tease putting her this close to him but making it take forever at the last minute. Her lids were about to close for a few minutes but they then popped back open at the sound of a car door loudly slamming shut two yards away. It was followed by laugher and people talking. People really did seem content living out in the boonies…maybe she would try it. The woman scooted her chair back up, in time to see two men make their way out of the front seats, clearly joking and laughing with one another. She leaned forward, pressing her hands on the glass. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest with excitement as she watched them. They were definitely the right age. For some reason, she found that her arms were becoming covered in goosebumps….this time not from the cool air that lingered in the vehicle. There was clearly two of them but…the one on the left…wearing a long coat…she couldn't take her eyes off him. There was something so…familiar about the way he walked…his gestures…the back of his head, even. His hair was dark grey, a single streak of white across the back. The woman bit down on her lip, feeling her breath catch in the back of her throat. She was feeling something she hadn't felt in such a long time. All she needed…was for him a turn around…just a bit. Her hands tightly gripped at nothing on the dashboard as she urged for the man to let her catch the smallest of glimpses of his face. Maybe there was a god, after all, because the next thing the woman knew, he had turned to smile at the man next to him, letting her get more than a good look at him. That was all she needed to see. His face…the large chin…those dorky, what looked like to be goggles on his face, but more than anything else…his smile…so much more different than any man she'd ever met. It was him…after all these years…she was finally able to see him with her own eyes. The woman numbly blinked once, seeing the pair walk into the shack, leaving a parking lot that she was no longer even paying attention to. She scooted her seat up more, taking a few breaths out to calm herself again. Otherwise, she would have flew right through the roof of the car. She found him...she'd seen him…she…she _found_ him! The woman pressed her face into her hands, smiling in excitement. Finally! She knew that there it would be best to wait another hour or so before going to see him…she didn't want to scare him or anything but she was barely able to hold on another fifteen minutes before her hands moved towards the car door to let herself out. Her green eyes locked onto the front door of the store. She had already wasted enough time…no need to deprive herself any longer. Without another thought, the woman got out of the car, and began to quickly walk towards the building, feeling a new fire lit within her.

* * *

Dipper and Mabel walked into the Mystery Shack, talking and childishly arguing at the same time. Dipper was a bit less cheerful though. Apparently, Mabel had thought it was funny to put a caterpillar down his shirt and make him run around the place, screaming like a little girl. She did it when they were just leaving the diner, innocently insisting that she only did it to get his mind off the stranger who had come looking for the elderly Pines twins. He admit he was mad at first but after the first ten minutes found himself having fun chasing his sister around the place to get back at her. The young teen was so hot right now from the heat. He wondered how Mabel hadn't even broken a sweat, running around with a _sweater_ on. Dipper poked her one more time in the ribs. She only made a goofy face at him in response, making him roll his eyes. Stan and Ford walked in a few moments after them, still joking around with each other. Mabel smiled, seeing Wendy pass by come next to them, carrying a skeleton towards the hanging rack.

"Hey guys. How was your first meal back?", she asked.

"Amazing. Grunkle Stan ate five cheeseburgers in a row and didn't get sick once!", Mabel said, pressing her hands into her cheeks.

"Impressive", the red head replied, sarcastically.

"I'm not sure if it's bad or not that I'm not that surprised", she added.

"Trust us. It wasn't a pretty sight", Dipper said.

"It was so gross, it was kind of cool", Mabel said.

"Thanks, pumpkin", Stan said, passing by. He opened the glass freezer, and pulled out a coke. Of course, he didn't care that it might look bad of him taking drinks meant for paying customers.

"I'm headed back to the den. A found a new show to look at", he said.

"You mean your soap opera?", Mabel asked, giggling.

"Hey. Don't call it that. It's a show centered around the emotions and lives a series of sweetly relatable characters in different realities…most of them woman", Stan said, crossing his arms.

"Really just sounds like a soap opera", Wendy said.

"Because it is a soap opera. Did the show _English Dutches_ move to a new time slot?', Ford asked, smiling at the group.

"Don't you have a book to burry your face in?", Stan said, his cheeks beginning to redden.

"Of course I do", Ford said, patting his arm.

"Mr. Pineses. You're back from lunch", Soos said, bringing out another box of clothes for the mannequins.

"Yeah. Now it's time to binge watch random shows in my underwear", Stan said, laughing.

"Ok…that's really something none of us want to picture or see…ever". Dipper said.

"Then don't bug me", Stan said, waving him off.

"Maybe I'll join you later…it would be a nice break from my research after a few hours", Ford said.

"Oh yeah. Hey, Ford. Before I forget. There was some lady looking for your earlier", Wendy said, walking a few feet closer.

"Really? Still?", the older man let out, straightening his glasses.

"Yeah. Like five minutes after you guys left", Wendy said, blowing a bubble with her gum and then popping it. Dipper walked close to them, a worried look already on his face. His relaxed attitude was now out the window again.

"Wait…so she was here?", he asked, biting down on his thumb.

"Who was? Do you guys know her?", Soos asked.

"We heard from Susan that there was a woman at the diner asking about Grunkle Ford", Dipper said.

"Yeah. Dipper's been biting on anything and everything, just from thinking about it", Mabel said.

"No. I haven't", Dipper retorted. He quickly stuffed the pen he was now biting on back in his pocket.

"I think you see my point", Mabel said.

"I wonder what we should do", Dipper said, pulling his hat over his head.

"How about nothing? If anyone comes asking any questions, we'll just play stupid", Stan said.

"Will it really be that easy?", Dipper said.

"I can play stupid", Soos said, reassuringly.

"Thanks for that, Soos", Stan said, slapping his back.

"So she's from the government?", Wendy asked.

"That seems to be the most logical explanation. Either that or she could be a reporter. How troublesome", Ford said.

"See. Reporters are easier to deal with. Just smash their cameras and run", Stan said.

"I don't see any other reason why anyone might be looking for me specifically", Ford said.

Wendy made a pained face, while Soos looked guilty.

"Ooooo…uh…that kind of might be problem…I…well we both _kind_ of might have told her when you'd be back…and maybe a small description of your car…we just said it was a piece of junk", Wendy said, rubbing hers arms.

"Oh man", Dipper said, biting both his thumbs again.

"We didn't know. She looked harmless…she looked cool", Wendy said.

"She was very pretty", Soos added.

"That doesn't help the situation", Dipper groaned. He pulled the hat away from his face, feeling Ford's hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'll just talk to her and give her some misleading information to send her on her way", he said.

"Well…if she's cute…no need to send he away just like that", Stan said, rubbing his chin.

"Grunkle Stan!", Mabel said, giving him a look.

"What? She could come for Ford and then stay for me", the older man said, shrugging.

"I just hope we can make her leave without any problems. We don't have the minder erasing gun anymore", Dipper said, looking at Mabel, who whistled innocently, looking away.

"We'll think of something", Ford said, smiling.

"In the meantime, why don't you kids go out and have fun with your friends", he said.

The teenage twins looked at each other for a moment, before determinedly shaking their heads. They weren't going to leave their Grunkle to face the lady alone. If anything, they could stay around and make him seem like another regular old man.

"We'll stay a bit longer", Dipper said.

"Yeah…who would suspect anything with two youngsters hanging around?", Mabel said.

"Waddles'll beat anyone up who tried to mess with you" she said, picking at the pig, who happily oinked an agreement.

"Thank you Mabel…and Waddles", Ford said, patting the girl's head.

Even with the short conversation they had, Dipper jumped slightly, hearing the bell jingle on the door. Someone was coming in. Mabel walked over to them, gripping the man's coat, looking towards the exit, while Dipper stood on the other side, beginning to nibble on his pen again. A few feet away, Stan made a disappointed face, realizing that he probably wouldn't have the chance to hit on the woman and quickly pulled out his brass knuckles from his pocket, sliding them over his hand. Wendy was about to go meet the stranger, most likely to try to make her leave but stopped, seeing Soos gesture to Ford. The plan was for him to give a random story so that she wouldn't come back. Instead, the seventeen year old walked behind the counter, seeing a few other people come up with items to buy. Soos looked in either direction before busying himself with a random task to look less worried. All of them were so deep in thought, either ready for a fight or busy concocting a story that no one was able to stop Waddled from running toward the hallway, letting out few oinks.

"Waddles no! Not yet, you cute vicious beast!", Mabel called out to him. It was too late though…he'd already ran away from sight. There was a few more oinks followed by a giggle.

"Well, hey there, little cutie", they heard a woman say.

"You're so adorably pudgy", she added. They all heard a few more oinks and snorts from the pig, and then silence. Mabel pulled her eyelids down, a horrified look on her face.

"She got Waddles!", she said quietly in a horrified voice.

The young teen grabbed a bat from under chair, gripping it in her hand.

"It's on now", she said, taking a step forward.

"Mabel wait!", Dipper hissed, grabbing her shoulder. The four of them stiffened a bit, hearing the sound of footsteps coming closer. Mabel took a large breath in, already ready to scream and yell at whoever had gotten hold of the smallish pig. Her face turned red within a minute, as she held in her outrage. Ford cleared his throat, greeting and story already made up in his head…anything to make her leave…and anything to stop his niece from…possibly murdering the lady. Their eyes looked towards the floor, seeing the shadow come closer to where they were. Dipper bit his pen harder, making ink go onto his tongue. He quickly spit out the cap, rubbing his lips. He tensed, finally seeing the shadow turn a corner, the woman finally coming into view. Both Dipper's and Mabel's mouths fell the floor when they saw who it was. Standing five feet away from them…was the same woman they had met on the bus coming here…that neighborhood hottie. The young teen moved his lips to say something but no words were coming out. Dipper didn't know if it was because he was so shocked or because the woman looked even better than last time, if that was at all possible. Behind them, Stan's mouth was opened even wider, however for a different reason. Soos walked past and tried his best to look as concerned but couldn't stop himself from giving her a friendly wave, which she returned with a smile. Waddles was tucked happily underneath her arm, snuggling into her side. His throat still dry, Dipper was the first to break the silence. His mouth had to move a few times before he could finally say anything.

"You…you're from before", he said, wiping at his mouth again, making sure it was clear. The woman smiled and her green eyes lit up seeing both of them. She really didn't look dangerous at all.

"Oh. Hey. The cuties from the bus. How are you both?", she asked, petting Waddles' head.

She raised him up in her hands, another lovely smile on her face.

"Someone lose this pig?", she asked with a laugh.

The woman furrowed her brow.

"If any of you tell me he's dinner, I swear I'm taking him home with me", she said, a slightly stern tone.

Mabel couldn't help giggling.

"He's my little cute friend", she said.

The woman smiled and set the pig down on the floor, who rubbed on her leg for a few moments before making his way back towards Mabel.

"I guess I should have known", the woman said. She had opened her mouth to say something else to them but stopped, her eyes quickly traveling between the elderly Pines twins. Try as he might, at that moment, Dipper was unable to read her expression. She looked to be both excited and numb just looking at them. He gulped, feeling nervous again all of a sudden. Dangerous looking or not, that definitely wasn't the look of someone who ended up in this town out of sheer coincidence. He gave Mabel a confused look, his how skin already tingling with dreadful suspicious, remembering that when they had first met her, the woman had told them that she was looking for something…something that she had come here to find. Just but looking at her, it was more than obvious that she had found what she was searching for. His sister could only give a light shrug and nod in understanding. The woman took another step forward, her piercing deep green eyes making all of them feel glued to the floor. She pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, letting out a small musical laugh and then rubbed a hand down her face, laughing a bit harder. It almost sound like…she was in pain. However, he face said otherwise…she looked blissful. A sigh that sounded both satisfied and immensely tired escaped her lips before the woman spoke again.

"Finally…", she let out, her green eyes twinkling.

"Finally…I found you…Ford…", she said, looking at the older man.

Like Dipper, Ford himself also found it difficult to say anything. Just a few minutes ago, he was all set to give her a false story of who he was and anything else that she might want to know but now…just looking at her…for once in his life, he brain didn't seem to be functioning. This woman…she had to be a reporter or something similar. Who else would look like that? More than a few times, the intellectual man moved his lips a few times but was only able to make a few, even less than audible sounds. Another moment passed and he quickly blinked his eyes a few times, looking to where Dipper was standing. Ford rubbed his forehead, trying to make himself tear his eyes away from the beautiful woman in front of them. They couldn't afford to become distracted by the way she looked. She needed to be redirected to another place as soon as possible. The only reason she would be here was to look for a story…and there was still the possibility that she could be a federal agent, disguised to look…well…the way she did…to attract them all to her. He had come across a number of monsters who had played tricks on his eyes to get to him…he would wouldn't be fooled by a woman who was so…so…that looked like this. Ford coughed twice, clearing his throat and offered the friendliest smile he could manage…he could hear a trace of nervousness in his voice as he began to talk.

"Ford, you say? And who might that be?", Ford asked, looking at her.

Dipper had already begun to blush slightly but quickly nodded his head.

"Yeah…this is our Grunkle…Anthony…uh…Tony for short?", he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yep! Great Grunkle T!", Mabel let out happily.

The woman raised a brow and let out another lovely laugh.

"Oh? Ok then…where is Ford then?", she said, smiling coyly.

"Uh…he's not here", Dipper said, feeling himself sweat as the woman looked at him. His cheeks instinctively burned when the woman cast him an amused smile.

The woman almost smirked and crossed her arms.

"You know…for two cuties, you sure do like to tell lies", she said.

"Lying? Us? No way we would do something so dishonest, ma'am", Mabel said, batting her lashes.

"You cuteness won't save you this time", she said, laughing again.

"Don't even try to tell me anything else. I know he's here", the woman said, almost teasingly as she cast a smile in Ford's direction, which of course, made the older man blush and look away.

"You're right. He is here", Stan said, pushing past his brother and grinning His eyes happily ran their way up her body, as he held in howls of approval and lust. If there was ever a time that he desperately needed his brother's x-ray glasses on the skin setting, this was it. Damn! Just looking at her was making him go crazy…and that was really something, seeing how he was already old as hell. When Soos had called this so called stranger pretty, he really didn't believe him. Pretty…yeah…she was a bit more than _that_. Stan had to bite the inside of his lips, to keep himself from drooling as he continued to look at her in complete awe.

"Oh, good", she said, smiling.

"You're looking at him", Stan said, pumping his chest in the air.

The woman made a face.

"Yep. That's me. Ford Pines, here. At your service", Stan said, trying his best to look cool as he leaned against a nearby table.

Dipper and Mabel only groaned, slapping their hands on their foreheads. So much for the plan. They were supposed to be trying to make her believe that Ford _wasn't_ here. Why was Grunkle Stan trying to hit on her…pretending to _be_ Ford. They should have known that he would have pulled something like this. He really was an uppity old guy, after all. So rash! The four of them didn't know how to feel when the stranger let out another giggle.

"Are you really trying to convince me that you're Ford?", she asked, raising a brow.

"I sure am, toots.", Stan said, casting her a cocky look.

"Feel free to ask me anything you want. Hell, you can arrest me right now, for all I care", he added, raising his wrists in front of him. In that moment, he really wouldn't have cared either way. The older man couldn't held the way his body burned as the woman cast him an effortlessly sultry glance. She walked closer, making Stan feel as though his tongue was sandpaper. Man…she was too hot! Without even knowing it, his mouth finally hung open, his tongue loosely hanging out, as he began panting lightly. It wasn't something he was too proud but…for crying out loud…were they looking at the same person he was?

"Too bad for you I'm not a cop…toots", The woman said, shutting his jaw with one finger. Stan felt like his body had become a pile of noodles at the simple touch.

Dipper blinked a few times, feeing his confusion grow.

"Are you…in any kind of law enforcement?", he asked, scratching his head.

"No", the woman said, looking behind him to Ford, who had been silent and stiff for a while now.

So then…you're _not_ a federal agent?", Dipper asked, looking darting his eyes from left to right.

"What? Me? A fed? You've _got_ to be joking", she said, waving it off with a laugh.

"I think you watch a bit too much T.V.", the woman said.

"Well, are you a reporter, then?", Mabel asked., curiously.

The stranger furrowed her brow and placed her hands on her hips.

"Do I look like one?", she asked, letting out another laugh.

"You look waaaaaay better", Mabel said, smiling.

"Thank you", the woman said.

The teen girl thought for a moment before saying anything else.

"But then why were you trying to find, Grunkle Ford? I mean…because he's kind of the smartest guy, like _ever_ " Mabel said.

"I bet his is…but. When we met a few days ago, I told you I was looking for something", she said, proving Dippers theory. She cast him a quick smile.

"And that thing is…our Grunkle Ford?", Mabel asked, her eyes going wide.

"Yes", the woman replied, smiling at the man, whose face had now gone red for a reason he couldn't explain. He was also feeling uncharacteristically hot all of a sudden. Still silent, Ford quickly wiped beads of sweat off his forehead, trying his hardest not to make contact with those hypnotic eyes of hers. However, somehow…he was finding it very hard to look away.

"So you wanted to meet him because how smart he is?", Dipper asked, testing his sister's straightforward theory.

"No", she said. Her one worded answers made the older man feel even stranger. What was even worse is that she wasn't taking her eyes off him, even with people around him. Her attention was complete focused on him. Having a woman's attention, one that wasn't trying to kill him…it made him feel…funny. Ford twiddled his thumbs a bit before looking away again. The older man gently grit his teeth, as he wondered with dread why his heart had begun beating so fast.

"So then why were you looking for him?", Dipper asked, his guard finally down. Like Mabel, he had strong feeling that she wasn't trying to cause harm to any of them. The woman let out a low chuckle and faced them, her deep green eyes making them all inwardly shiver. Those eyes told a story they couldn't even begin to imagine.

"Why…you say…", the woman said. She thought for a moment and then shrugged. Her eyes grew serious and determined, making Dipper feel twinges of worry bubbling in him.

"Because I want him", she finally said, her gaze sexily intense.

"You can have me anytime", Stan suddenly said, making a sad last effort. It didn't work, of course. The woman only had to give him a slightly annoyed look to make him give up…at least for now, anyway.

"No…", she said, walking closer to a very nervous Ford. Although they had said they would have his back in any situation, both Dipper and Mabel instinctively backed away from the older man's sides, leaving him standing there by himself, feeling more exposed than he ever had.

"You're the one I've been looking for all this time", she said, making Ford noticeably quiver under her passionate stare. Not only that…his skin had now begun tingling with something that felt like electrified needles. He didn't know whether he liked it or not. It just made him feel…strange…and his heart…was he finally having a heart attack? A few moments passed before his lips were able to form a proper sentence.

"L-looking for me? I...if this is about anything that happened last summer then…", the older man trailed off.

"I don't care about any of that. I really don't know what you and your family have been thinking but I'm not here for any kind of job", the woman said.

"I…I see…well, good then", Ford said, letting out another nervous cough.

"My only reason for coming here was you…it's always been you", she said, looking him up and down a few times before smiling, as though she liked what she saw.

"Always…I…don't think we've met before…", Ford let out, suddenly wanting to gasp for air. He flinched a moment later, the rest of them staring at the pair, still feeling awestruck, as the woman circled him a few times, her eyes seeming to travel over every inch of his body. She…she was like a lioness stalking her prey…her eyes already gave off the feeling that she wanted to devour him. The woman stopped, in front of even, closer than last time. She put a finger to her mouth, playfully smirking at him. The stranger let out another small laugh, as if he had said something humorous.

"You don't remember me, do you?", she asked, raising a brow.

"You…I…well, no. I don't…I'm sure this is the first time I've seen you", Ford said.

"Hmmm…", the woman let out, looking at him, her face concentrated.

She smiled and sighed again.

"How mean of you, Ford. You're really making things hard, you know", she said. Ford let out a silent gasp, as the woman slowly walked to his side and back, lightly trailing her soft hand along his chest and shoulder. The older man was stiff as a board again but as the same time was unable to keep his eyes off her.

"Ok…so you don't know who I am…yet…we'll just have to fix that, won't we?", the woman said, letting her hand linger on his chest for another moment before moving it.

"F-f-f-f-fix?", Ford said, stumbling over his words. He really was never good with girls. She seemed to find his anxiousness funny because she giggled again a second later.

"Of, course. I can't just give up so easily", the woman said, looking at him.

"G-give up?", Ford asked, gripping his coat.

"On you, of course", she said, leaning forward for a moment. The older man could feel hot blood rising to his face. He already knew he had gone completely red, for a reason he still didn't know.

"B-b-but I…I mean you…", Ford began, but stopped, caught off guard by the woman suddenly placing her hands back onto his chest, pressing her body over them…practically onto his. The elderly scientist immediately stiffened, feeling as though his heart was about to jump out of his chest. He then let out a hitched breath, feeling her move her body closer to him, her deep eyes making him feel as if his body was made of stone. His spine shivered, hearing her speak in a low and sexy voice.

"My name's Faye Wilkins.", she said, running a finger down his chest, her eyes seeming to blaze.

"Make sure you don't forget that", she said before, pushing herself off him and flipping her hair behind her back. When she was off him, the older man gripped at his chest again, feeling how even harder his heart was palpitating. The woman began to make her way back towards the exit before stopping to glance over her shoulder to smile at Ford again, casting him another sexy look.

"But I really don't think you will", the she added, beginning to pass by the others, who she hadn't paid any attention to for the last couple of minutes. The woman smiled at the younger twins when she reached them.

"Sorry about that. I hope I didn't scare you or anything", she said, running a hand across her side.

"Noooooo problem. I know I enjoyed it", Mabel said, hiding a large smile with her hand.

"Um….", Dipper let out, raising a finger in the air, not sure what to say after seeing what he had. After a minute, he was finally about to say something but stopped, seeing the woman turn to still very still Ford, pointing in his direction.

"You…I know that is sudden and all but…hurry up and figure things out, will you?", Faye said, furrowing her brow and then smiling. She gave him another look before walking towards the door. Mabel tugged on her hair twice, all too happily looking after her, while Dipper was still unable to believe what had just happened before their eyes. Faye finally reached the door, all of them watching her with large eyes. She quickly opened it, letting the sunlight from the late afternoon stream inside. Just before she walked out, the woman turned to them…looking straight at Ford and spoke again.

"I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. You should be able to know at least something by then", she said, before giving them all one final waive and disappearing out the door. They all stayed like that for a few minutes, still overcome by utter shock and confusion. Stan's mouth had managed to fall back open, a dumbfounded look plastered over his face. Dipper and Mabel pretty much looked the same way, only the young teen girl was holding in a few giggles of excitement in between her stares. The group was snapped out of their trance, hearing a large thump from nearby. They all turned to see Wendy grimacing in pain, sitting on the floor and rubbing her head. She'd leaded forward too much over the counter during the visit from the woman, only to topple over and fall flat on her face…very out of character for her usually cool and uncaring demeanor. Stan was the first one to break the silence as she cast a demanding, and even annoyed look at his brother, his arms crossed sternly across his chest.

"Spill it", Stan said, giving him a look. They all turned their eyes to his direction to the other elderly Pines twin who was still unable to say anything.

"Buh…buh…buh…but…I…she…know her…can't", his managed, his entire face still red from the neck up.

"Now, sixer", Stan pressed. Ford numbly opened his mouth to say something even though he had no idea what. This time, he was unable to even to form the smallest of words. He was only able to make a few confused noises and blubber things that he didn't even know what they meant. And why shouldn't he? He had no idea what had just happened with the woman. The older man's mouth was gaping wide open in shock, his eyes wide, as he continued to stare in the direction the woman had just left. Ford tried his hardest to come up with _any_ kind of explanation about everything but he was only seeing static and his jumbled thoughts before his eyes.

He hadn't move from his position for so long, that the others must have become worried because a few moments later, Dipper was waving his hand at Ford, a few feet away from where he was standing. Ford was even unaware of what. He didn't…couldn't even move a centimeter right now. In fact, he barely remembered where he was. His eyes weren't seeing anything. They only replayed the woman's visit over and over again, making him feel even more confused.

"Uh...Grunkle Ford…are you ok?", Dipper asked, walking closer and waving his hand directly in the older man's face, which, again didn't even register to him. He was numbingly oblivious to everything that was happening around him right now. What had just happened must have been too much for the older, because the next thing he knew, his body went limp and he fell backwards into a basket of stuffed animals. What a way to start off the summer.

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 **A/N: Please rate and comment! ^0^**


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